SINGAPORE- MAY, 2012

This was my first trip to Singapore. It was a very long flight, 12.5 hours from L.A.to Tokyo, then another 8.5 hours from Tokyo to Singapore. There were storms surrounding Singapore when I landed, and it looked like the 4th of July with all the lightening strikes around the island. This picture is of the downtown financial district on Marina Bay. The weather was very hot and humid, and was unfortunately the cloudiest day I experienced when I was
there.

This is the Singapore River as it flows through the city. The old warehouses and shops have been turned into stores and restaurants.

This is the gated entryway into Fort Canning. Fort Canning was the British military headquarters during World War II, and was the last area to surrender to the Japanese invaders of Singapore. The gate is the last remaining part of the original fort, except for the underground bunker.

 

This picture was taken inside the restored command center of the British army in the underground bunker at Fort Canning. It represents the scene just before the British surrender to the Japanese.

 

This is the Fire Department Headquarters in downtown Singapore, and reflects the classic colonial architecture of the British colonial period.

 

This is the Parliament Building in Singapore.

This is a picture of the Singapore River as it flows toward Marina Bay through the downtown business district. Along the banks are wide walkways where you can walk along the river, as well as shops and restaurants to eat.

 

The Merlion is the symbol of Singapore. It is a combination of a lion and a sea dragon. This statue is on Marina Bay at the foot of the business district. It is a major tourist attraction.

 

Singapore's population is composed of equal numbers of Indian, Malay, and Chinese immigrants. This picture was taken on Arab Street in the Muslim part of Singapore with the main mosque in the background.

 

Another picture of the mosque which was undergoing renovation.

This picture was taken in the Indian area of Singapore. If you like food with curry, this is the place is for you!

This picture shows the entrance to one of the Hindu shrines in the Indian area of Singapore. The shrines were open to the public, but photos inside were discouraged.

 

I flew from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Malasia for a day trip. This is the Presidential Palace.

 

This photo is of the downtown area of Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur, like Singapore, is a very modern city with a lot of construction taking place. You probably recognize the Petronas Towers [twin towers] which are often featured in movies. It was very hot and humid the day I spent in Kuala Lumpur, and the aiconditioning in the tour bus was not working, so it felt like being in a steam oven.
 

This is another Hindu Temple in Singapore. The carvings were very ornate and strange, symbols of the Hindu religion.

 

This photo was taken in the Chinatown area of Singapore. This is where I bought the T-shirts for the grandkids. I really enjoyed my trip to Singapore. The city is a mixture of the old and the new, and Singapore is rapidly becoming one of the financial and trading centers of Asia and the world.

 

MADRID - MARCH, 2012

This was my first trip to Madrid, Spain; although I had spent the night on two previous occasions in Barajas, which is the small town next to the Madrid airport, when I flew to and from Istanbul in 2011. Madrid is a very modern city, so there are few very old sights to see within the city itself. However, there are many more modern buildings and government sights to see there. When I visited Spain was in the midst of a severe economic crisis with over 25% unemployment, and the government was beginning to institute many austerity programs which led to many public demonstrations in opposition to the government policies. Most often the demonstrations were not violent, so they were interesting to watch. Spain is very beautiful and I hope that their economic problems can be solved.

My hotel, the Hotel Atlantico, was located on Gran Via, which is one of the main boulevards in Madrid. It is similar to Broadway in New York City, with many theaters and restaurants in the area. It was an active and bustling area all day and night.

One of the main tourist sights in Madrid is the Royal Palace, or Palacio Real. On the outside it looked very similar to Buckingham Palace in London. The interior of the palace was very ornate and imposing. My favorite portion of the palace was the area where they preserved the armor for the knights and horses.

Next to the Palacio Real was the Catedral De La Almudena, Madrid's largest cathedral. It was very modern, with very beautiful mosaic ceilings and stained glass windows.

 

 

Throughout Madrid there are many beautiful plazas, squares, monuments and parks. It was very enjoyable to just get out and walk around the city. In the evenings and on the weekends the people in Madrid get out and walk around the city, and gather in the main squares and plazas to eat and socialize, and in my case, to watch the street musicians and demonstrators.

There were many museums in Madrid, the most famous of which is the Prado Museum which holds some of the most famous paintings in the world. I spent almost a full day at the Prado. If you wanted to closely inspect all of the paintings you would have to spend at least a week there.

I took a day trip to El Escorial, about 30 miles northeast of Madrid to visit the Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial. This palace was built in the 16th century by King Phillip II as a grand mausoleum for Spain's royal family (26 kings and queens are buried there), as a monastery, and as a small palace that served as a royal getaway from the palace in Madrid. The extremely catholic Phillip II directed the Spanish Inquisition from here.

 

 

I visited and toured the home stadium of the Real Madrid soccer team (Estadio Santiago Bernabeu). Real Madrid has won more major championships than any other athletic team in the world. The people in Madrid are rabid futbol fans, and the Real Madrid players are local icons.

 

I really enjoyed my trip to Madrid, a mix of the old and the new. I would enjoy returning there again soon.