Tag Archives: Murals

SICILY & AMALFI COAST #8: MEANDERING AROUND THE MAZARA KASBAH

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A UNESCO-protected city, Mazara del Vallo (“Mazara”) is unique in several ways.  First, it is Sicily’s most Arabic city and was conquered and controlled by all sorts of group after being founded by the Phoenicians in the 9th century BC.

Currently, 3,000 of the 60,000 residents are Tunisian or other Maghreb Arabs, so the culture is a mix of Sicilian and Arab.  What makes it unique is the peaceful co-existence of Muslim and Christian Faiths.  Add to the historical mix the small Jewish communities that were established centuries ago, it could have been a recipe for disaster.  Instead, there has been religious tolerance in Mazara throughout history and they call themselves, “Citta della Pace” or “City of Peace.”  There is even one street where there was an active church, Jewish temple, and mosque all within steps of each other.

Mazara is an important fishing center of Italy, and the Muslims and Christians work well together with mutual respect, side-by-side, on fishing boats as well as in agriculture, and other industries.  That is unique in this crazy world!

Muslims pray five times a day, and there is no problem that the call of prayer is broadcasted throughout Mazara except in the historic Jewish Quarter.  (Actually, there aren’t many (if any) Jews in Mazara currently, because they were kicked out during the Spanish Inquisition.  There is a small Jewish community in Palermo, however.)

The Kasbah of Mazara is also unique in that its streets are full of colorful wall tiles and tile murals, garage door murals, and pottery.  I was captivated by it all, so I couldn’t stop shooting photos during our walking tour!  I hope you enjoy…

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Tiles are missing, but the story of this mural is powerful, because it depicts the Jewish temple, Muslim mosque, and Christian church side-by-side as well as Mazara’s mix of people.
A different take on the same idea.

These are tiles on the walls of the historic Jewish Quarter, depicting symbols of Judiasm.

The gentleman who owns this home did all the tile and artwork himself. He graciously welcomed us into his home for a tour.

These garage door murals were all entered in a contest:

This mural won the contest. This little boy’s father was a fisherman on this boat and died in a storm.

Next up: SICILY & AMALFI COAST #9: MORE MAZARA

IRISH ADVENTURE #1: DELIGHTFUL DUBLIN

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Following our Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) tour of the United Kingdom and post-trip extension to the Cotswolds and London, we had a free day (and most of the next day) before beginning our OAT tour of Ireland and Northern Ireland.  We decided to add on a night at the Dublin hotel where the tour was scheduled to begin, so we flew from London to Dublin, and then checked in at the Hyatt Centric The Liberties.

Bruce and I enjoy walkable cities that we can explore on our own with ease. Dublin, the capital of Ireland, was a delightful city to do just that.  Situated on the mouth of the River Liffey, the river divides the city into the Northside and Southside.  The historic city center is encircled by the Royal Canal and Grand Canal, which was helpful for navigation.

Not long after we set out on our walk, we came across a street full of murals and graffiti, which captured our curiosity and inspired me to reach into my pack for my camera.

The following are murals and graffiti I photographed on this tucked-away street as well in other areas of the city center during our stay in Dublin.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Bruce and I decided to make St. Stephen’s Green our first destination.  Located in the city center, we thought the 22-acre public park would be a relaxing place to unwind after the hustle-bustle of London and Heathrow airport.

Oscar Wilde

More scenes captured while wandering around Dublin before meeting up with our tour leader and group:

Donut bakery in the shopping district
I don’t know what it is about our luck with parades, but we keep running into parades on every trip! When we arrived in Lima, Peru, last July, we bumped into a parade in progress as well as another parade later in the trip. The same thing happened in San Nicola Arcella, Italy, and on a few other occasions.
This little takeout place had the tastiest Cornish pasties!

Coming up next: IRISH ADVENTURE #2: MORE DELIGHTFUL DUBLIN

ARGENTINA & CHILE #12: PLEASANT PUNTA ARENAS

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Punta Arenas was quite a distance south from Puerto Varas—so far that the flight was over 2 hours long.  We were in the back of the plane with some empty seats, so the guy in the window seat in my row insisted I move over from the aisle, so I could see the beautiful views of the snow-capped Andes.  Meanwhile, he opted for the row behind us, which was really nice!  The window was quite scratched and cloudy, but I managed to get this shot out the window:

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

We were so fortunate to have relaxing and uneventful flights on this tour, and this one was no different.  It was smooth sailing through Puerto Montt airport before departure and an easy arrival at Punta Arenas.

Located in Chile’s southernmost Magallanes region, Punta Arenas, one of the world’s most southerly ports, is the capital city with a population of 143,000.  There are only 184,000 people living in the entire region, because it is very remote, windy, and cold most of the time— except this day, when Bruce and I got quite warm walking around in the late afternoon sunshine!

Following our arrival, we stopped at the Museo Nao Victoria to see replicas of the fleet of ships commanded by Ferdinand Magellan that contributed to the “discovery” of the area.  (I put “discovery” in quotes, because all of these “discoverers,” including Christopher Columbus, landed in places that were long inhabited by natives.)

It was fun to explore these replicas to see how they were built and to get birds-eye views of the Straight of Magellan.  I had never been that far south, so I wanted to dip my hand into what proved to be VERY cold water!  Our group did, too:

Upon our arrival in town, we took a bus and walking tour before arriving at our beautiful hotel located on the main square.  The Hotel Jose Nogueira, declared a National Monument, was the most beautiful building in this European-inspired city.  The rooms were quite unique, too.  I had never seen an octagon-shaped shower before (with two shower heads and a rain shower head above)!  It was so large, much of our group could have fit in!

Views from our city tour
We noticed this on the streets in several cities. It is meant for the blind, so they know by the change in the raised pattern that they are at a corner or where two paths meet.

The remainder of the afternoon was free, and it was gorgeous outside, so Bruce and I headed to the waterfront to see painted murals that Andrea had told us about.  What we didn’t know we would also be seeing was this massive quantity of cormorants hanging out on the pier and beach!  I’m always excited just to see one of these beautiful birds but look at this!  They seemed to be enjoying the sun as much as we were on this uncharacteristically warm and calm day.

A larger-than-life-sized wood carving in front of a souvenir shop in town.
A surprise performance by a band and choir on the street near our hotel.
Flag of the Magallanes region: Blue represents the night sky with the Southern Cross, the gold represents the steppe region, and the white is snow.

Our group reconvened in the evening for a customary Pisco Sour, which I previously failed to explain other than it is the favorite cocktail of South America.  Pisco is a wine distilled into a high-proof spirit.  It is then mixed with a sour mix and tastes quite good!

A delicious salmon dinner in the hotel’s beautiful restaurant followed—a perfect ending to a wonderful day!

Coming up next: ARGENTINA & CHILE #13: TREKKING IN TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK

ASHLAND’S HISTORY THROUGH MURALS

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From Boulder Junction, where we bid farewell to the “Townies,” Bruce and I headed northeast toward Bayfield, our home base for the next two nights.  To break up the drive, we thought Ashland would be a great place to stop, stretch our legs, and see the town’s murals I had read about in my research.

Expertly and beautifully painted by Kelly Meredith and Susan Prentice Martinsen, most of the huge murals depicting Ashland’s history are located in the eight-block Main Street business district, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

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Ashland’s historic downtown was quite charming.  Between the murals, architecture, lovely little park, and artistic mosaic trash receptacles, it was a great place to visit!

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Coming up next:  BAYFIELD:  FROM BLUEBERRIES TO BOATS