Category Archives: museum

Lizhuang, China

After the crazy distillery tour I wrote about in my last post, we seemingly went back in time by visiting the historic village of Lizhuang, China. The riverfront has apparently had quite a bit of recent investment put into it and the buildings have either been restored or rebuilt in an old style to house a variety of shops and restaurants. Here and there along the streets are bronze, life-sized statues depicting daily life.

There was an interesting WWII museum in Lizhuang as well. In 1937, when the Japanese invaded China, many academic institutions relocated to towns like Lizhuang to be a safe distance away from the frontline. The museum tells that story through dioramas, artifacts and artwork:

After the museum, we made our way back to the buses through the less-restored sections of the old town which were, in my opinion, more interesting than the more touristic sites along the river:

The sun just barely broke through the clouds as we neared Yibin, where two rivers join to create the Yangtze River:

Time to check in to the hotel for the night. As it turned out, a group of us would be among the first guests to ever stay in the Crowne Plaza Yibin, which was having a soft opening (possibly just for this tourism event). I would be quite comfortable, if not spoiled, during my stay:

China’s Sichuan Province

Last month I was invited to attend the 2015 Sichuan International Cultural Tourism Festival held in Yibin, China. It was my second time in China, but my first in the province of Sichuan. With just enough time to send my passport off for a new 10-year visa, the next thing I knew I was packing up and heading off to explore a region I knew mostly the by the Americanized version of its cuisine.

I arrived on August 22nd after what I believe must have been very nearly 24 hours in the air, separated into three flights: KC to LA, LA to Beijing, and Beijing to Chengdu. It was about noon when I arrived at my hotel and, after a quick 20 minutes to shower and break out a little camera gear, I was back on the streets of Chengdu to do a little exploring.

The first stop was Wuhou Temple, the Memorial Temple of Marquis Wu (220 – 280).

In addition to cultural relics and historical artifacts, the temple complex includes beautiful gardens and a winding avenue through tall stands of bamboo.

Adjacent to the temple is Jinli Ancient Street, lined with shops, tea houses, restaurants and street food vendors:

Like a Chinese version of a State Fair, every food imaginable that could be put on a stick was being sold to lines of smiling visitors. Shops sold all kinds of local crafts and souvenirs including one stand specializing in shadow puppets:

This boy was demonstrating plastic toys that mimicked the famous mask-changing characters of Sichuan opera:

An eye-opening introduction to Chengdu and Sichuan Province, my first afternoon was just getting started. Next I’d check out some of the more modern architecture and high-end shopping options. Then an afternoon “snack” that turned out to be enough to count as dinner at a local tea house. All that, and more, in the posts to follow…

Wichita museums

The Wichita Art Museum and Botanica are neighbors, sitting across Museum Boulevard from Old Cowtown Museum (see the previous post) along the Arkansas River in Wichita, Kansas. These were two more stops on my first morning visiting Wichita last week and both were a feast for the eyes.

I hadn’t seen Botanica’s new Chinese Garden of Friendship yet, so that was a nice surprise. The Wichita Art Museum is undergoing construction as well, although it is limited to creating new outdoor spaces. The interior galleries can be still be visited as usual.

Old Cowtown Museum, Wichita, KS

Last week I attended a meeting of the Central States Chapter of the Society of American Travel Writers. That’s not unusual for me — I attend a fair amount of SATW functions — but this time things were a bit different because we were meeting in my home state of Kansas. It was a lot of fun hanging out in places I have known since I was a kid with a bunch of people that I’m normally with in much more exotic locations like Fiji, Thailand, Iceland, Egypt, etc.

One stop during the tours that were a part of this gathering was the Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita. I’ve tread the wooden sidewalks here many, many times but it was different this time, seeing the familiar with others who had not seen it before.

I’ll follow this post up with more featuring other stops that our group made in Wichita and up through the Kansas Flint Hills to Manhattan, ending with a stunning final night at the Symphony in the Flint Hills near Strong City.

Stock photography report: Germany

I do my best to keep on top of all of my stock photography sales, but every agency reports a little differently. I recently received a quarterly report from one agency covering the period of November 2014 through January 2015. As I entered the images into my tracking report, I noticed a larger number than usual were shot in Germany. That same day, I spotted two sales of Germany images on my Alamy account — which I can check online daily.

You never know how much to read into these reports, but I do like to look for trends of which country’s images seem to be most in demand at any given time. These past few months have been the best for my Germany images by far. I look forward to seeing if the trend continues.

The images I’m featuring here are not necessarily the ones that were on this report, but it seemed like a good excuse to dig back into my files from Germany and share a few favorites. Above are two from Leipzig, and here are some teacups on display in the Grassi Museum — also in Leipzig:

And a couple from beautiful Dresden:

A quick stop in Cartagena, Spain

Cartagena, Spain, joins my list of places that I need to return to and spend more time. I only made a brief stop — a portion of one day — last month, and it just wasn’t enough. There are architectural gems here, along with an amazing history and a bustling present. Here’s a glimpse:

First, you have to love a tour that starts with a giant glass elevator and cantilevered walkway. That circular tower is just such an elevator that takes you from the lower street level, up to the top of a hill in the center of town that overlooks the city and various Roman ruins like the amphitheatre (and former bullring) in the distance. A short walk along the top of this hill, leads to more spectacular views, and more Roman ruins.

In the lower part of the frame above is the recently “re-discovered” Roman theatre of Carthago Nova. The town had gradually grown over this structure for hundreds of years but it has now been excavated and museums are being built to house more of the artifacts that have been recovered.

There are open air sites where digs are still being undertaken that are open to the public as well:

But around all this history is a stunning, lively city with streets lined with restaurants and shops.

Should you find yourself in Cartagena (and are of age), be sure to pause long enough to order a Café Asiático, a coffee-based drink with condensed milk, brandy and a locally produced liquor, Licor 43:

Then, of course, continue exploring.

Exploring Lorca, Spain

Lorca, Spain, suffered a devastating earthquake in 2011 that killed nine people and injured dozens more. While signs of the damage are still evident, the city is rebounding and is ready to welcome travelers. The images that follow are all from one short afternoon’s walk through the historic district. There is much to see here, and the new parador makes a great base camp for exploration.

Above and below, the Chapel of the Rosary — outside and inside, exceptionally beautiful. The museum of embroidery (next door to the chapel and seen at the left in the photo above) is also worth a stop.

The courtyard of the Palacio de Guevara, above.

Guadix, Spain – Cave Houses and Cathedrals

Before heading back to Granada, we had one last stop in Guadix, Spain. There the landscape contrasted dramatically with what I had seen in Almunecar the day before. Around Guadix, it was much more of a desert climate and nearly half of the city’s population lived in cave houses, carved into hillsides.

There’s a cave house in Guadix that is open as a museum so that visitors can see what the insides of these dwelling look like. It was a warm day when I visited, but inside the cave house it was very cool and comfortable.

Projected, moving silhouettes on the walls help to tell the story of the people who live in these houses.

Back in the center of town, the contrasts continue with a beautiful, historic district that sits more typically above ground. Perhaps the highlight of this part of the city is the stunning, baroque-style Cathedral of the Incarnation.

Granada, Spain

I’ve been going on and on for the last three posts about the Alhambra, but there’s really much more to see in Granada, Spain. In this post, I’ll share a few other random images from various spots around the rest of the old town. Above is the Church of Santa Ana just off of the Plaza Nueva. Next is the Parador de Granada — and amazing place to stay with an unbeatable location right in the midst of the Alhambra:

I got to know this next street well. It’s the transition between the pedestrian path down from the Alhambra and the old town:

The dome of the Church of Santo Domingo:

The spire of the Church of Santa Maria de la Encarnacion of the Alhambra:

The studio of painter Max Moreau, now a museum:

And no trip to Granada would be complete without a night of flamenco. This photo was taken at El Templo del Flamenco:

Liberty Memorial, Kansas City, MO

I had a little time between two assignments in Kansas City yesterday so I popped over to the Liberty Memorial for a bit. The weather was beautiful, the snow is nearly gone — now I’m ready for things to green up and start blooming! The monument is impressive any time of year, and one of my favorite places in KC.