Next Up for Bedtime Reading

A couple nights ago I finished the travel book about author Paul Theroux's journey across the continent of Africa.  So, I had to pick out the next book from my stack for my bedtime reading.  I chose another travel book, "Shadow of the Silk Road" by Colin Thubron.

I had already packed a couple novels in my backpack for my trip in a couple days. I figured that this travel book would be something that I could start now and easily pick up again when I return home in September.

Unlike Theroux, who is one of the best-known American travel writers, I had never heard of this author before.  Apparently, Thubron is well known in Britain and has written quite a few books describing his travels in the Middle East, Russia and central Asia.  In this book he tells of his 7000-mile journey from China to the Mediterranean, retracing the legendary trade route along which silk and other products of the Far East were transported to the West.

I have only read a couple of chapters, but so far it is very interesting.  The first chapter takes place in Huangling in central China.  It is the site of the mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor, the mythical figure who is credited with the creation of Chinese civilization more than 4,000 years ago.  Legend says that it was his wife, Empress Leizu, who discovered silk when a silkworm cocoon fell into her tea.

From Huangling the author travels to nearby Xian.  There, the first emperor of a unified China, Qin Shi Huang, established his capital in the 2nd century B.C.  The city is the site of the famous Terracotta Army discovered in the emperor's tomb.  The remains of this ancient city are surrounded by a modern metropolis of more than twelve million people.

From Xian, the author will set off on his long journey across western China, central Asia and the Middle East.  It promises to be a fascinating journey. 

Splendid Isolation

When I resumed my normal travel schedule to Mexico in 2021, after being fully vaccinated against COVID, I got into the habit of self-quarantining myself for a week before my departure.  I felt, correctly or not, that I would be less likely to come down with the virus just before leaving or to unknowingly carry the virus down there.  I have continued to do that, and last Tuesday I began my period of isolation.  On Monday I went to the supermarket and bought groceries to last for the week and ran any errands that needed to be done.  I have not left the house since then.  A couple people have asked on the phone how I am doing all by myself.  It's really not a big deal since I am used to being alone.

I have kept busy accomplishing the things on my "to-do" list.  Except for last minute items, the suitcases are packed, and the bills have been paid.  Yesterday I finished going through the flower beds.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am very discouraged by the deer that have been eating my plants.  Recently I discovered a fat, ravenous groundhog has also been chewing my flowers.  I am ready to just give up on gardening.  However, before leaving, I wanted to pull any weeds that have sprouted and to lay down Preen again so that the weeds do not take over while I am away.  The Preen that I put down in June seems to have done its job since I did not have much weeding to do.  This weekend I am going to clean house and do laundry.

I did cheat a bit on my isolation.  A couple days ago my friends Duffy and Gayle stopped by.  We sat outside on the patio and kept a safe distance.

In just three days I will once again be on my way to Mexico!

     

On Safari

Alejandro's nephew Ezra graduated from elementary school this summer.  Unfortunately, this summer he only had a few days of vacation because this week he started orientation for "secundaria"... junior high school.

Last weekend, during his mini vacation, his mom took him on an excursion to Puebla, a couple hours to the east of Mexico City.  They stayed at a hotel located near the "Estrella de Puebla" (Star of Puebla), a 260-foot-high Ferris wheel.

(Photos taken by Alejandro's sister Sandra)

On Saturday they went to a safari park located outside of Puebla called "Africam Safari".  

The zoo was established in 1972 by a Mexican businessman as a place where animals could live and reproduce in an area resembling their habitats in the wild.  Visitors can ride through the park in their own vehicles or in park buses.  The zoo features animals not only from Africa but also from Asia and Latin America.  

Ezra enjoyed his visit to the park, and I am happy to report, he is very excited about his new school.  It is hard to believe that he is now in junior high school.  I hope that he continues to be the excellent student that he was in elementary school. 

A Taste of Munich

After our walk around downtown Cleveland, my friends and I were ready for lunch.  We decided on a place that we had visited once before.  Just a short walk away was the Hofbrauhaus Cleveland.  The tavern / restaurant is a franchise of the famous Hofbrauhaus (Royal Brewery) in Munich, Germany.  The original was founded in 1589 by Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria, and centuries later remains popular with locals and visitors alike. (Even though I am not a beer drinker, when I visited Munich some years ago, I had lunch at the original Hofbrauhaus.  Although I was fearful that it would be a tourist trap, my meal was quite good.) 

After World War II, franchises opened in other cities in Germany as well as in the United States, Australia, Asia, and even Brazil.

Cleveland's Hofbrauhaus is a cavernous beer hall with long tables.  Fortunately, we were there before the Saturday night crowds arrived.  When it is busy, and a German band is playing, the place is an echo chamber, and it is hard to have a conversation.  

Three of us had schnitzel for lunch.  Duffy ordered the traditional Wienerschnitzel.

Gayle and I both had the "jaeger schnitzel" covered with a mushroom gravy, served atop spaetzle, and with a side of cranberry orange relish.

Frank ordered the Nuremburg würst (sausage) served with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes.

For dessert, the other three had apple strudel, but I ordered the Black Forest cake.  I usually don't often order cake in a restaurant, because too often it has been sitting too long and is dried out.  But this was delicious!

We were all very happy with our meals.  In the past, I have preferred Das Schnitzel Haus, a German restaurant closer to home.  But in my last couple of visits there I thought that the quality of the food had gone downhill, and a couple of my favorite dishes were no longer on the menu.  On this visit to the Hofbrauhaus, the meal was exceptionally tasty, so I would say that it is now my favorite German restaurant in the Cleveland area.

It was a delicious ending to our excursion to downtown Cleveland!

Tourists in Our Own Hometown

After visiting the observation deck of the Terminal Tower, Gayle, Duffy, Frank and I decided to wander around downtown Cleveland a bit.

In front of the tower is Public Square, and one quadrant of the square is dominated by the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument.  It was dedicated in 1894 and honors the more than 9000 men from Cuyahoga County who served during the Civil War.

 The monument with the Key Tower, Ohio's tallest building in the background

One of the four bronze statuary groupings which surround the monument.

In the background is the Terminal Tower.

Although I had been inside the monument once before on one of Alejandro's visits to Ohio, none of the others had ever been inside.  So, we entered the monument which is free of charge.

The walls inside are covered with the names of those who served in the Civil War.

One of fourteen stained glass windows which were designed by a local glassworks

There are bronze panels with life-size figures in the center of the interior.

The three men in the center were Ohio's wartime governors.  To their left and right are Civil War generals who were born in Ohio or who led the Ohio troops.  Among them are two Ohio-born men who would later become President of the United States.  To the far left is James Garfield and second from the right is Rutherford B. Hayes.

Lincoln breaks the chains of slavery.

Lincoln discusses with his generals how the war should be brought to an end.

After visiting the monument, we then headed down Cleveland's main street, Euclid Avenue.

We took a short detour onto East 4th Street.  It was once a rundown street lined with pawn shops, but it is now a pedestrian zone with trendy restaurants and bars.  However, we didn't see any place that really appealed to all four of us for lunch.

Back on Euclid Avenue we popped into the Cleveland Arcade.

When it opened in 1890, it was one of the first indoor shopping arcades in the United States.  It has been designated a National Historic Landmark.  The lower two floors are still occupied by retail merchants, but the upper floors are now part of the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Gayle loves cupcakes, and she had read that a new cupcake shop had opened on Euclid Avenue.  When we found it, we had to go inside.  She bought a couple of cupcakes, and she reports that they were very good.

Duffy sitting in an over-sized chair in the cupcake shop

By this time, we were getting hungry, and we agreed upon a downtown restaurant for lunch.  That will be the subject of tomorrow's post.

At the Top of the Tower

I have lived my entire life in the Cleveland area, but I have never been to the observation deck on the 42nd floor of Cleveland's most iconic building, the Terminal Tower.

I have written before that when this building was completed in 1927, it was the second tallest building in the world.  Until 1964 it was the tallest building in the world outside of New York City.  

I decided that this was a place that I needed to visit before I move to Mexico.  Last Saturday was forecast to be a sunny day, so I decided to go.  I invited my high school friends Gayle and Duffy and my friend Frank (who always house-sits for me when I travel) to accompany me.

Here we all are in the Tower City shopping mall beneath the Terminal Tower.

The entrance hall to the Terminal Tower is beautiful.

We took two elevators to go up to the 42nd floor observation deck.  From there we had a view in all directions of Cleveland.

Looking to the southwest

Below, you can see the Cuyahoga River, the "crooked river" which empties into Lake Erie at Cleveland.  The interstate highway that you see goes to the Cleveland Airport and beyond that is the suburb where I live.

Looking to the southeast

In the center is the arena where the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team plays, and just beyond that the stadium where the Cleveland Guardians (formerly the Cleveland Indians) baseball team plays.

Looking to the east

Euclid Avenue, downtown Cleveland's main street, heads to the east, past the cultural institutions of University Circle and on to the city's eastern suburbs.

The Huntington Building (officially known as 200 Public Square) was completed in 1985. It was originally the headquarters of Sohio (Standard Oil of Ohio).  Then when BP (British Petroleum) bought Sohio it was known as the BP Tower.  In 2011 the building became the regional headquarters of Huntington Bank.  The building was originally planned to be taller than the Terminal Tower, but the plans were changed so that the Terminal Tower would remain the city's tallest building.  (However, in 1991, the Terminal Tower was surpassed by the Key Tower.)

Looking to the north

The 57-story Key Tower is the tallest building in Ohio, and the tallest building between Philadelphia and Chicago.  Beyond it is Lake Erie.  Even from up here you cannot see the shore of Canada on the other side of the lake.

Directly below us is Public Square.

Just to the left of the Key Tower, you can make out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the shore of Lake Erie.

The Justice Center houses the headquarters of the Cleveland police department and the county and municipal courts.  Behind it is the Cleveland Browns football stadium.

The break wall protects the port of Cleveland from the notoriously rough waters of Lake Erie.

A freighter approaches the entrance to Cleveland Harbor.

Looking to the west

The lakeshore curves out to the western suburb of Lakewood.  The tent-like structure that you see on the opposite bank of the Cuyahoga River is a waterfront concert venue.  At the bottom of this photo near the center you can see the Rockerfeller Building which was completed in 1905.  The industrialist J. D. Rockerfeller got his start here in Cleveland.

Beneath us we can see the construction site for the proposed world headquarters of Sherwin Williams Paints.  It will be a 36-story tower and will be Cleveland's fourth tallest building when completed.

Well, after all these years as a local resident, I can finally say that I have finally been to the top of the Terminal Tower.

August Is Here

At the beginning of each month, I have been showing you the photos which I used for the 2022 calendar which I created.  This year all of the photos are of parks and gardens which I have photographed in different parts of the world.

The photo for August is of "Parque La Mexicana" in Mexico City.

The park is located in the Santa Fe district of the city.  In spite of the fact that this area used to be a sand quarry and then a landfill, Santa Fe is now one of the most upscale neighborhoods in Mexico City.  It is filled with ultra-modern, high-rise condos and business headquarters, and it boasts the largest shopping mall in Latin America.  However, its location is rather distant from the rest of the city, and there is a lack of public transportation.  It also lacked green spaces until 2017 when this large park was opened on the site of a former sand quarry.  Other than the architecture of the district, this park is really the only place of any interest to tourists in Santa Fe.