Artsy, Dancey, Rainy Jozi

I spent quite a lot of time in Johannesburg, where I stayed with Heather, an amazing woman I used to work with when we both led very different lives in Washington, DC. Heather has been living in Jozi for a few years now, and is a photographer and blogger (her blog, 2summers, is all about life in Johannesburg, and is pretty awesome – check it out!).

Johannesburg after a downpour.

The Telkom Tower and some other Jozi buildings, as seen from a Hillbrow sidewalk.

Heather and I got into all sorts of fun shenanigans in and around Johannesburg. We filled our days with art and photography, live music, and exploration. We also spent a fair amount of time hunkering down in coffee shops playing on our blogs and Instagram, due to Jozi’s decision to torrentially rain for about half of my visit.

Part of the Jozi skyline as seen from Hillbrow.

The city as seen from the Melville Koppies (Afrikaans for “hills”). One of the reasons I love Jozi is that it is the biggest manmade forest in the world, with over 10 million trees. It actually looks like a city sprouting up from a dense forest. It’s awesome.

I fell in love with Johannesburg, and I really have Heather to thank for this – she showed me so much of the city, and I got to go places and do things I would never have done if I’d been touring Jozi alone.

One day, Heather and I attended an artist’s tour of her works in the city. We walked around with Hannelie Coetzee who puts up awesome installations in often dark and otherwise-unnoticed areas of Jozi. One of her works is on the wall beside this underpass, where I snapped this photo.

Coetzee’s installation near the underpass, engraved directly into the wall.

Another of Hannelie Coetzee’s works, on the side of a butchery in Fordsburg.

Another of Coetzee’s works was in this abandoned and burned-out city post office. It apparently took a lot of work for her to be able to bring her tour group inside, since it’s condemned. Such a cool place to go, though.

Jozi is sort of like the NYC of South Africa (or, so I hear, of Sub-Saharan Africa in general). I love NYC, but I think I might like Jozi more (gasp!) because it is just a little rougher around the edges, a little edgier, a little more…well, African. And therefore more interesting. It’s big with a big city-feel (~10 million people, skyscrapers, the works), it’s multicultural, it has tons of boroughs, each with its own eccentric claim to fame. Also in Jozi, I found places and events that were the most harmoniously diverse I’ve ever experienced. By this I mean, many places Heather and I went, and many things we did, were about equally attended by people of both black and white race – and everyone seemed to simply enjoy themselves, together. This struck me because even in multicultural epicenters like New York, you’ll almost always find far more of one race than the other at any given bar or event or show. In the US, and everywhere else I’ve been, one race tends to dominate, depending on the scene. This was very much not the case in Johannesburg. I don’t mean to imply there is no longer racial tension or race-based issues in Jozi – there are plenty. And I know the racial harmonizing I witnessed is a relatively new phenomenon in South Africa, too. However, it was an interesting, enlightening, new, and highly positive experience. It’s something I wish was easier to find in my own cities.

Heather and I attended a Vieux Farka Toure concert at Bassline (one of two live music events I attended in Jozi!). The band is from Mali, and the music and dancing were incredible. This guy was showing some Malian pride, dancing with his flag the whole time.

Sunset at an art exhibit Heather and I attended at Circa on Jellicoe, a brand new art gallery in Rosebank. (One of two art galleries/museums I went to in Jozi! My time there really was awesome – full of creative beauty and danceable soundwaves…)

An installation at Circa on Jellicoe.

Another shot of this really awesome piece of work.

I hope that this blog post changes some opinions about Johannesburg. The city has a terrible reputation, both globally and in other parts of South Africa, for having a culture of extreme violence and for being highly dangerous for tourists as well as the people who live there. Every time I mentioned to someone – whether foreign or South African – that I had spent time in Johannesburg, the reaction was unfortunately the same: surprise, incredulity that I’d spent so much time there, shock that anyone would want to go there – and then, when I would mention how I actually fell in love with the city, the reaction shifted to disbelief and a shrugging off of my opinions: “Well…if you say so…”  This is really disappointing to me, because I feel Jozi has a lot to offer and is being harshly judged by insiders and outsiders alike, often based on events of the past that are now changing and improving in the city. There is a lot of redevelopment happening in the rougher parts of Jozi, a focus on community engagement, and a rapidly growing art scene, which is amazing and driven by highly active and wonderfully talented street artists, photographers, performers, and poets. Sure, you have to be careful. It’s a big city with its share of big problems. But it’s also full of kindness and creativity and community. Johannesburg is a place I would like to live. You should give it a chance.

Ponte City in Hillbrow. This building is an example of how one of the rougher areas is being improved. At one time, this building was hijacked by gangs. Now, it’s cleaned up and becoming re-inhabited by legitimate renters, with a large community center in the bottom.

Streets of Hillbrow.

Hillbrow is one of the harder areas of the city, but Heather and I were graciously escorted by George, her boxing coach, who lives there and seems to know everyone. After Heather’s boxing session in Hillbrow one morning, George walked us all around the neighborhood, giving us the grand tour and sharing his knowledge of the place’s history, having grown up there. Here is George and an…interesting…restaurant we found. It has an “automatical” sliding door!

Heather is part of a group of talented photographers who use Instagram as one medium for their pictures. They held an “Instawalk” around the Gandhi Square area of Jozi, and I tagged along. My photos aren’t edited in Instagram, but I like them nonetheless.

Shot on the Instawalk.

Shot on the Instawalk.

Shot on the Instawalk. Reflections! This building was really shiny.

Shot on the Instawalk.

Ok, I did edit this one in Instagram. @emilylime3.

Shifting gears from the Instawalk:

Fordsburg, where there are a ton of Indian restaurants and sweet shops. Fun evening out for Indian food!

Another building I photographed in Hillbrow.

At Bean There Coffee Co., the only place in South Africa where Heather’s found iced coffee. (I found more in Cape Town, but it was more of a coffee slushy so it doesn’t really count).

You can buy airtime AND diapers here.

Hillbrow exploration.

And last, another piece of random and really cool artwork on a wall at 44 Stanley.

I heart Johannesburg.

Someone give me a job there!

Five Days in Florence

My five days in Florence centered around a few major themes: exploring magnificent old churches and art galleries, cozily hiding from the rain with countless espressos and a book in my hostel’s common area, improvised hiking in places I was probably not supposed to be, and, most importantly, feeling my Great Grandma’s presence everywhere.

Though my much-loved Great Grandma Iole (pronounced Yo-Le) immigrated to the US when she was quite young, her family was from Florence. Maybe it was simply projected, but every time I stepped down a particularly old cobblestone street, or walked into a historical church, or meandered through a more “local” part of town, I felt so connected to my Great Grandma. This made my time in Florence extremely meaningful to me – just knowing she had been there, and her family had been there, just about a century ago.

Photo-worthy highlights of my time in Florence included “hiking” to the top of Piazzale Michaelangelo and exploring a secret forest at the top, climbing Campanile di Giotto and seeing a 360-degree panorama of Florence and the surrounding Tuscan hills, visiting the famous Uffizi art museum (Botticelli everywhere!), and, of course, simply meandering through this glorious, ancient, artistic and architectural wonder of Italy.

Here are some photos from my experiences.

I arrived to Florence in the evening and took a long walk. I came upon this in a random park. There are countless parks and squares in Florence, all with ornate fountains, statues, or arches such as this.

Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore dates back to the 8th century. It was rebuilt in the gothic style in the 13th.

A glimpse of a typical side street in downtown Florence.

The octagonal Baptistry and Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and the Campanile in Piazza del Duomo, arguably Florence’s main architectural tourist attractions.

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and the Campanile

Details on Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore’s exterior

Details on Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore’s exterior

One of many magnificent doors of Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

Looking through to the Duomo

The Olive Garden in Piazza del Duomo. It contains 70 olive trees arranged in a checkerboard, in harmony with the lines of the Baptistery and the Piazza. The olive trees represent the native Tuscan landscape as well as the garden of Gethsemane in the Scriptures.

Duomo! It’s the largest brick dome ever constructed. Construction began in 1296.

Inside Duomo.

Another view of the Baptistry and bell tower.

Giotto’s Campanile (bell tower). I climbed that – all 414 winding, steep stone steps up.

Observing the Florentine view as I walk up Giotto’s Campanile

Everything is just so ornate and lovely.

A view of the Baptistry and Olive Garden, from above.

More locks of love in a tiny window in the stone wall of the upper Campanile

Look at that sky!

Red roofs, red roofs.

Florence and Tuscan hills in the distance.

I really was here, you guys. These pictures aren’t from Google Image! I’m so happy to be up here. Wonder if my Great Grandma ever climbed the Campanile?

Hello Florence and beautiful brick dome and blue Tuscan hills and sky of impending 3-day downpour.

On one stroll through Florence, I came upon an open-air market. People were selling local Tuscan goods – Chianti, huge wheels of cheese, fresh local olive oil, and other delicacies with which to stuff one’s face.

Locally produced olive oil.

Nom nom nom. MUST. RESIST. EVERYTHING.

Some meats. Easy to resist.

That’s some garlic…man, I love being Italian. It’s in my genes to want to eat all of this in one sitting.

I worked up an appetite exploring Florence all day, and eventually found a real, organic, local vegetarian restaurant in a tiny corner of the city – very off-the-beaten-path. I had a little trouble figuring out how/what to order, as I was the only one in the whole place who spoke English. I kind of just winged it on the menu…but I got lucky! And yes that IS local Chianti. Delicious!

Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace). A museum, as well as Florence’s modest town hall…

In Piazza della Signoria, the main city square.

In Piazza della Signoria, the main city square.

Ponte Vecchio. This bridge was built in Roman times, and is lined with shops. The shops used to all be butcheries, but now they mostly sell jewelry or souvenirs.

The Arno.

The Arno.

Well that’s an interesting take on a metro sign…

This is the view from Piazzale Michelangelo. Nestled in the southeast corner of Florence, it’s one of the highest points and gives a different view of the city from the opposite side of the Arno. Took about an hour to “hike” up here.

I love this tree.

Though all the other tourists stopped climbing at Piazzale Michelangelo, I kept going up the hill. Just over the ridge, I found this magnificent church. It’s the San Miniato al Monte, a basilica attached to a monastery. Built in the 12th century or so. Absolutely incredible inside. Dark, empty, mysterious, but the ceiling is covered in colorful tiles.

Outside the church was a cemetery, Cimitero Momunmentale delle Porte Sante. Another nice view of the city from this perfectly planned cemetery.

Another view from the cemetery.

After exploring San Miniato, the monastery, the cemetery, and a deep, dark, well-groomed and tall-treed forest behind these structures, I made my way back down the hill to the Piazzale in the fading light.

View of Florence by night.

The rest of these photos are from various basilicas I visited. None of them were anticlimactic. The architecture, art, and history in these places is simply incredible.

Most of the following photos are from Basilica di Santa Croce, a huge structure right near the Arno. Santa Croce is also known as the Temple of the Italian Glories, because it is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile and Rossini.

One chapel of Santa Croce. I know this is one of the oldest pieces of art I’d ever seen but I was stupid and didn’t write down the date. Sorry!

These carved tombstones covered the floor of many basilicas, and were my favorite part of the churches.

Another chapel with more tombstones placed right into the floor.

This is an original Donatello in Santa Croce. I die!

A wall/walkway in Santa Croce

Though the historical art everywhere in Italy is incredible, it’s all by men. This is the ONLY masterpiece I saw by a female artist. It was in a cold, wet alley behind Santa Croce. But it was one of my favorite carvings.

And last, this is the only picture I sneaked in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence’s sprawling art museum. The Madonnas do get a bit old after a while, but I will never tire of the Botticelli’s. Just Google “Fortitude” or “Birth of Venus” and you’ll see why.

Shades of Venezia

I spent 2 full days in Venice, and I felt it was plenty of time to see the city and be done with it. The first day, I walked around without a map, just exploring and getting dizzily lost amongst the circuitous maze of tiny streets, alleyways, and bridges. I was enthralled by the city’s beauty, and stopped constantly to take photos and admire the view: blue or green canals, brightly colored houses right on the water, vivid blue or black and gold gondola boats driven by striped-shirted men with red neckties, a million gelaterias and cafes, church after church after ornate, ivory, towering church. I truly enjoyed exploring this place – unlike anywhere else I’ve ever seen – and soaked it all in until well into the night.

My second day, I had a map in-hand and a few destinations in mind (the Jewish Ghetto, Piazza San Marco, the artist district, etc). Turns out I had already visited all these places the day before, I just wasn’t aware at the time. What I learned from this is that Venice is extremely small, and though it’s easy to get lost in, it is hard to find a place that isn’t totally overrun with tourists, and silly, overpriced tourist gimmicks to buy. When I did make my way out of the touristy areas to the outskirts of the city, it was interesting and much more serene, but these places were small and quickly ended in yet another tourist hub. So, after Day 2 in Venice, I was done and ready to move on to Florence.

The highlight of my time in Venice was visiting the Peggy Guggenheim collection. This museum is in Peggy’s old house (she is actually buried in the yard), and extends to another larger building nearby. Much of the gallery is Peggy’s original collection: the art in the living room is the art she placed there; the dining room is decorated as she decorated it. The Guggenheim in NYC is one of my favorite museums of all time, so I felt exceptionally excited visiting this much more personal collection. And the art was amazing. Kandinsky, Ernst, Tanguy, Capogrossi, Warhol, you name it, it was all there. Just stunning. I spent hours in the museum and loved every minute of it.

Instead of my traditional story-telling with accompanying photos, I decided to just insert a gallery of some of my best photos of Venice. Many of them have captions, a few don’t. Most are in color, and a few are black and white. I just mixed it up for fun…hope you enjoy 🙂

Click the first one to scroll through ’em all.

Colorful houses on the water.

Gondolas!

Naked boy holds frog. Tourists look on.

I really like this photo. This is just a random church I came upon, but it was a pretty time of day…

Love the blues.

Fancy cathedral

Fancy Cathedral, Take 2

B&W view of Venice

The Guggenheim is my favorite museum in the US, so naturally, I had to go to the one in Venice – in Peggy’s old house! Not a bad place to live, Peggy.

Through the back gate of the Guggenheim.

Saw this awesome installation at the Peggy Guggenheim museum. The artist’s name is Capogrossi.

More Capogrossi.

Spotted near another art gallery. Jim Morrison=Jesus.

Venice silhouettes at sunset.

Candy stores on every corner. I successfully resisted these, but not the gelaterias…no, there, I barely put up a fight.

I ate that. And several (many) more. Good thing Nepal’s coming after Italy. I can exchange pasta/pizza/gelato/cannoli for beans and rice!

Man, it’s pretty here.

This is in the former Jewish Ghetto area. Perhaps surprisingly, the Venice Jewish Ghetto was the first ghetto establisheded in WWII.

I went in this church because it was hidden away and therefore free. It was incredibly beautiful inside – no photos allowed, of course.

Like everything, the church is right on the water.

Gross pigeons in a city square. Some tourists were feeding the birds so they’d land on their heads. WHAT ARE THEY THINKING? THEY’RE RATS OF THE AIR, PEOPLE. RATS. OF. THE. AIR.

Green water, green door.

Gondolas gently rocking in the romantic and totally filthy Venice waters. So picturesque.

Grand Canal.

Beautiful sunset view from a bridge. EVERY sunset in Venice was absolutely breathtaking. Just wait til you see the last photo.

Random shrine to Haysoos on a sidestreet in the non-tourist area where I got ridiculously lost for ages.

Gondola driver looking extra fancy. Man, I love sneaking photos of people.

Locks of love…this shit is everywhere in Europe!

A cute old carpet store.

Countless beautiful and ancient churches and cathedrals in Venice.

Piazza San Marco. I hardly spent any time here. It was totally overrrun with tourists and really pricey stuff. Still, a beautiful and historic place to appreciate. Which I did – quickly!

St. Mark’s Basilica.

Pink lights! Oh Venice. You’re so cheesy and romantic.

Piazza San Marco area

Another lovely church.

Pisa’s not the only city with a leaning tower…

I love all the clotheslines.

More clotheslines!

Reflections.

Gondola, you so fancy!

These masks are for sale everywhere you turn. I remember I had a few when I was a little kid. More likely mine were made in China, though these might be too…

Damn, Venice. Well done.

Berlin by Bike

Each day in Berlin, I rented a bike from a small bodega near my host Hannah’s building. Biking allowed me to cover some serious ground in Berlin, which worked in my favor as the city’s quite large and I was only there for a few days.

Since traveling, I have missed nothing more than my beautiful, beat-up, bright blue road bike (now slowly losing air in my grandma’s basement) so, blessed with sunshine and brisk autumn weather, I gleefully took on the whole of Berlin on a crappy, 10-euro, 3-speed rental.

That’s me and my bike, in case you couldn’t tell.

Early on in my stay, I biked around to many of the key touristic areas: the East Side Gallery (see previous post), the Jewish Memorial, Museumsinsel, Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Reichstag, etc. After I’d had my fill of tourist attractions (which tends to happen extremely fast, for some reason), I biked nearly all the way across the city, stopping and photographing street art, interesting buildings, and good city views. I self-toured through several of Berlin’s many boroughs, visited the huge Mauerpark flea market, rode through a lengthy, forested park (Tiergarten), and ate some amazing and relatively cheap food (none of it was German. They don’t understand vegetarianism in this country).

A key difference in my self-guided exploration of Berlin, compared to other cities: I had a full city map in-hand! Yeah!

Some touristy things…

Reichstagsgebäude. I didn’t go inside (there was a very long queue), but apparently the view from the dome is nice. Next time!

The Brandenburg Gate, a couple horses, a hundred tourists, and some sunshine sneakin’ in my photo.

Another view of the magnificent Brandenburg Gate. This historical gate was totally isolated during the post-war partition of Germany.

Oberpfarr- und Domkirche von Berlin, or the Berlin Cathedral Church. Quite beautiful.

Another view of the Berlin Cathedral Church. Again, I didn’t go inside anything this time around, but the views from outside were lovely with such a sunny blue sky…

This is a major street in Berlin. It used to be called Stalinallee…

“Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe”

Hannah and I biked to the Jewish Memorial on my first day in Berlin. It’s one of the more powerful holocaust memorials I’ve been to. From the periphery, it looks like a field of solid gray columns of varying heights, all relatively short – reminiscent of gravestones. But when you walk into the memorial, you find that the ground is uneven, and the gray pillars are placed in a grid format, some towering over your head, some shorter than you. Some of the columns lean a bit to the left or the right. There are no markings on them at all. Like all genocide memorials, it is somber and hallowed.

Jewish Memorial, on the periphery.

Walking through the Jewish Memorial. It covers 4.7 acres and comprises 2,711 cement slabs. Truly a maze to get lost in, to reflect in, to feel in.

Wikipedia has a good description of the memorial’s feel:

…the stelae are designed to produce an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole sculpture aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason.

Walking through the memorial, it wasn’t uncommon to hear the shrieks of children, or see them jumping and playing between the columns in this vast maze. Hannah told me this is quite controversial; some feel it is disrespectful to run or play amongst the columns, while others feel it is a hopeful and positive thing that children can express happiness and enjoy their youth here.

“Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted under Naziism”

This is another memorial Hannah and I visited. It was in a lovely park close to the Jewish memorial, but set back a bit from the main path. I found it quite unique.

Hannah and our bikes by the memorial to homosexuals.

Inside the cement block was a television, steaming a video on loop. The film depicted various homosexual couples expressing their love for one another, with undertones of secrecy, but so much love. I think it is a beautiful memorial.

Other things I loved about Berlin

Passed this beautiful synagogue on a street I biked down.

The view from a bridge I biked over. You can see some huge graffiti on those buildings to the right.

Exploring the Mauerpark flea market – which is HUGE – I came upon so many booths selling these. What’s the deal? Is this a new hipster trend? Mounted antlers? People are so weird…

ITALIANFOODSOGOOD.

Best falafel I’ve ever had. No joke. They cooked it right in front of me, too.

Berlin at dusk, taken over my handlebars. (Talent? Maybe. Bad idea? Probably).

And last, my favorite picture from Berlin. I should mention that I have now seen 11 rainbows since beginning my journey. That’s 11 rainbows in about one month. I don’t count the rainbows that show in this photo, but I was so amazed to look at this picture and see them there after I took it.

I feel so lucky.