Spotting Fangio in Buenos Aires

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

Last week, I saw a post on the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Facebook page about Juan Manuel Fangio, one of the most successful and celebrated Formula 1 drivers in history. His birthday is June 24, and Mercedes celebrated his career, and his short but successful tenure with them. Fangio won the F1 drivers’ championship a record five times ( a record only broken by Michael Schumacher) and is the only Argentine driver to win the Argentine Grand Prix, a race he won a record four times, more than any other driver.

Seeing the Mercedes post reminded me of spotting a few tributes to Fangio when we visited Buenos Aires. Fangio was born in Balcarce, Argentina, about 400km south of Buenos Aires.

We first spotted a photo of Fangio when we were in the Palermo Soho district. After a day-long private tour of the city, we ended in Palermo Soho and met Flytographer Paloma who snapped photos of us as we wandered the colorful streets.

Street art in Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires.

While stopped in front of a bar, we noticed a picture of Fangio and had our picture taken with him.

We spotted this photo of Fangio on a bar when walking around Palermo Soho with our Flytographer Paloma. Photo credit: Paloma, Flytographer.

Beautiful colors on this building in Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires.

Later during our stay in Buenos Aires, we stayed at the Hilton Buenos Aires in Puerto Madero, a relatively new barrio that is filled with new high rises and glamorous apartment buildings. One of the best parrillas in Buenos Aires, Cabana Las Lilas, is in one of the old warehouses in Puerto Madero. We dined there one night with Dave’s colleagues, and the beef was indeed delicious. The wine list is also quite extensive. It seems that the only picture I took was of my entree – I think we were too focused on the conversation and ordering Malbec wine!

My beef entree at Cabana Las Lilias.

One of the landmarks in Puerto Madero is the Puente de la Mujer, the women’s bridge. Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, it is said to be reminiscent of a couple dancing the tango.

Puente de la Mujer (Woman’s Bridge) in Puerto Madero with the Hilton Buenos Aires in the background.

A day view of the Puerte de la Mujer.

While exploring the area our first morning in in this section of the city, we saw a Fangio statue, conveniently located in front of a Mercedes Benz dealership.

Statue of Juan Manuel Fangio with a Mercedes F1 car in Puerto Madero (note the Mercedes-Benz dealership in the background).

Plaque next to the Fangio statue celebrates his five Formula 1 World Championships. The statue was dedicated to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his victory in the Grand Prix of Buenos Aires on January 16, 1955. The sculptor is Joaquim Ros Sabate.

As fans of Formula 1, it was nice to see a few small tributes to one of the greatest drivers while we visited Buenos Aires.

To Learn More

There is a Fangio museum in Balcarce, Argentina, that showcases his life and displays fifty cars.
To read more about Fangio and his F1 career, particularly with Mercedes-Benz, see their post on him here.

Travel Treasures: A Hat from Tallinn

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

Ten years ago, I was on a Baltic Sea cruise. We spent an afternoon in the lovely town of Tallinn, Estonia, which was beautiful. From high up in the town, we could see the port and all the cruise ships and ferries docked there.

This is the Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky in the Old Town of Tallinn.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn, Estonia.

The onion domes are simple yet so beautiful against the bright blue sky.

The domes of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn, Estonia.

After our guided tour, we were allowed some free time to explore on our own before returning to our ship. I wandered the cobblestone streets of the old town, and discovered a lovely shop with beautiful hats and other handicrafts.

The streets of Old Town Tallinn, Estonia.

I purchased a simple raw linen hat. It had a wide brim that I could mold up or down, to keep the sun away from my face as needed. It was lightweight, and easy to pack. Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of the shop where I purchased the hat, which I now regret. I wore the hat in St. Petersburg, Russia, on our next stop on our cruise.

In front of the Church of Spilt Blood, or the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, in St. Petersburg, Russia.

And then I brought the hat with me on future travels. I received many compliments on it, and I loved that it was perfect for traveling! Here I am wearing it in Kyoto, Japan.

Wearing the hat in hot and humid Kyoto, Japan.

I climbed the old city walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia, wearing the hat.

Walking the old city walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia.

The hat came with me to South Africa and I wore it when we visited wineries in Franschhoek outside of Cape Town (I’m the one on the far right).

With our group at Haute Cabriere wine cellar in Franschhoek, South Africa.

And then, the hat was gone. I do not know where or when I lost it, but suddenly it was not with me any more. For some reason I think it was lost during an airport security check, but I really do not know. I was so sad – it was the perfect hat for traveling, keeping cool and not taking up any suitcase space. And, it was machine washable!

A few years ago, I returned to Tallinn, Estonia, on another Baltic Sea cruise, and I searched frantically for that shop where I purchased that hat (now you see why I regret not taking a picture of the shop). I found many shops that sold linen goods, but did not find any with simple linen hats. Sadly, we only had a short amount of time in Tallinn, because otherwise I would have visited every shop in the Old Town until I found another hat!

Have you ever purchased an item of clothing while traveling that you then took on a future trip? Have you ever lost a treasured souvenir from your travels? Please let me know in the comments.

Travel Treasures: Portugal, Singapore, Italy and Vietnam

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

It was a typical “June Gloom” morning here in Southern California yesterday, and I decided to bake some muffins for breakfast to help brighten my day.

I served the muffins on a small plate I recently purchased when I was in Portugal, and I used a placemat that I brought back from Singapore.

I love using items from my travels at home – it reminds me of my trip to a different part of the world, the people I met, the food I ate, and then shop or market where I purchased the item.

The plate I purchased in a gift shop in Fatima, Portugal, outside of the town center. We stopped there before visiting Fatima and the site of the apparitions of three local children in 1917. I love the blue and white colors of this small plate. It is the perfect size for small snacks, a sandwich, or in this case, muffins.

The placemats I purchased along with other printed fabrics in the Little India section of Singapore. I do not remember much other than I bought different sets of placemats and napkins for friends and family.

This morning, the sun was shining, and I used a bowl from Sorrento, Italy, and a ceramic juice glass from Vietnam for my breakfast.

The bowl I found in a ceramic shop run by the artist, on one of the streets in Sorrento. His work had a pale blue color to it, and most of the items had an ocean theme. You can see some of the fish swimming at the top of the bowl.

The ceramic juice cup I purchased in Can Tho, Vietnam, at the Victoria Can Tho resort. When our group arrived to check-in, we were greeted with hand towels and fruit juice in these ceramic cups. I have bowls at home in a similar style – a matte brown glaze on the outside, and the inside muted colors. The cups are the perfect size for a small juice, and they are dishwasher safe. When I have juice for breakfast, I fondly remember my time at this lovely colonial hotel.

What are your favorite treasures from your travels? Do you bring back dishware to use at home?

A Visit to Black Friars Distillery and the Home of Plymouth Gin

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

Today, June 13th, is World Gin Day. I had no idea about this important date until I saw my friend Ana’s picture of a Gin and Tonic on Instagram (Ana is also known as Mrs. O Around the World). While traveling in the UK, Spain and Portugal this spring, I tried many different gins and thoroughly enjoyed it. Given that today is a special day for gin, I thought I would highlight one of my recent gin experiences.

While on a tour of Britain in April (Insight Vacations’ “Best of Britain”), our group took a half day trip to Plymouth. Most of the morning was spent on a boat tour of the harbor to provide us a visual history of the importance of this port city. After the harbor tour, we had about an hour to walk around and explore on our own. I stumbled upon the Plymouth Gin distillery and decided to step inside.

Here is a brief history of the Black Friars Distillery, where Plymouth Gin is made, from their website:

The building dates back to the early 1400s, with the most intact part of the distillery, the Refectory Room – a medieval hall with a fine hull-shaped timber roof built in 1431, being one of the oldest buildings in Plymouth. It is thus protected as a national monument and is one of the city’s most precious heritages. The Distillery buildings were formerly a monastery inhabited by the Black Friars. In 1536, at the time of the Reformation and dissolution of the monasteries, the former home of the Black Friars was put to a variety of other uses including being the town’s Marshalsea or debtor’s prison. It was also the first Non-Conformist meeting place and a billet for Huguenot refugees who fled France for Plymouth. The Pilgrim Fathers even spent their last night in England here in 1620. It was from the distillery they made the short walk down to the harbour to set sail on the Mayflower on their epic voyage to start a new life in America, where they founded a new Plymouth. The Mayflower ship forms Plymouth Gin’s trademark label today. Black Friars is indisputably the oldest working gin distillery with records of a ‘mault-house’ on the premises going back to 1697. However, it was in 1793 that Mr Coates joined the established distilling business of Fox & Williamson and the distilling of Plymouth Gin began. Soon the business was to become known as Coates & Co, which it remained until March 2004.

How interesting to learn that the Pilgrims spent their last night here before departing for America! Unfortunately, there was not enough time for me to take a tour; but if you have the time, there are several options offered, including a Master Distiller’s tour in which you can create and distill your own gin recipe!

The Black Friars Distillery, where Plymouth Gin is made, in Plymouth, England.

When I stepped inside the distillery, I bumped into fellow travelers Laurie and Linda. I convinced them we needed to try some Plymouth Gin, since we were at the source after all! We went upstairs to The Refectory – the bar was beautifully lit, and well stocked with other fine liquors besides Plymouth Gin.

The Refectory bar at Plymouth’s Black Friars Distillery

I decided to try the Plymouth Sloe Gin, as I saw that downstairs in the shop, and it looked interesting – and different from the gin I have previously tried. If you can not read the photo below, this is what it says, “Made to a unique recipe that was discovered in notes made by our Head Distiller in 1883. Traditionally enjoyed as a winter warmer when pursuing country sports, now widely used in cocktails, long drinks and as a great accompaniment to cheese. Try it with… Sharphams Brie Style, Quickes Cheddar, Vulscombe Goats Cheese, Devon Blue.” That sounds right up my alley to try this with cheese!

Plymouth Sloe Gin, according to the bartender, it is only available at the distillery.

The Plymouth Sloe Gin is made by steeping sloe berries with the gin. It has a reddish-pink color. I asked for Fever Tree Tonic, another recommendation from Ana, and the bartender said that is the only tonic they serve!

My Plymouth Sloe Gin before adding tonic.

I tried the gin on its own at first, before adding the tonic. It had a lovely fruity taste, and I enjoyed it so much I decided to purchase a bottle to bring home – especially since our bartender said she thought it was only available at the distillery! She mentioned that she had been in New York City recently, and she found Plymouth Original Gin regularly available. I have since seen it here in stores in Los Angeles, but not the Sloe Gin.

Enjoying a lunch-time gin and tonic.

We all enjoyed our drinks, and then rushed back to the coach for our next stop.

Tonight, in honor of World Gin Day, I will make some cocktails before dinner. I think a Sloe Gin Fizz with my Plymouth Sloe Gin, straight from the source, sounds just about right on this chilly, June Gloom day in Southern California.

Cheers!

Let me know your favorite gin drink or if there are other sloe gins I should try!

A Colorful FriFotos

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

Here are some of my photos from last Friday’s #FriFotos theme: colorful. This week’s theme is roads. Start posting your road photos on Friday, June 12, 2015!

My first trip to Ireland was in March, and I was there for St. Patrick’s Day. Many of the buildings around Dublin were lit in green for the holiday as part of Tourism Ireland‘s campaign to #GoGreen4PatricksDay.

Dublin went #GoGreen4PatricksDay

My friend Claire first told me about Liberty London when I was planning my first trip to London about fifteen years ago. After almost yearly trips to London, I had not visited in almost nine years, so when I arrived, one of my first stops was to visit Liberty and see their iconic prints – on scarves, on blouses, dresses, notepads, cards and makeup bags. I will be back in London in July, and I will be sure to visit Liberty again (the store itself is beautiful too).

Scarves at Liberty London.

While in London, I also visited another iconic department store, Harrods. The food halls at Harrods offer just about anything you can imagine, and I enjoy walking around to see the delicious foods and desserts. This marble cake looked particularly pretty.

Marble cake at Harrod’s.

During my trip to Britain in April (see Liberty and Harrods photos above), the weather was beautiful. I think I only used my umbrella one day during my fourteen day trip. When we arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland, after a long day of driving, I needed to stretch my legs. Luckily, our hotel was near the Scottish Parliament building, and close to Holyrood Park. Even though it was late afternoon, I was determined to climb to Arthur’s Seat. It was windy and chilly, but perfect weather for walking, and the light was spectacular.

Climbing to Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park.

My final photo is one my friend Laura took. Over Memorial Day weekend, three of my high school girlfriends and I traveled to New Orleans for a girls weekend. On our final day, we went to Commander’s Palace for their Jazz Brunch. As the jazz trio played for our table, Laura took this picture of me surrounded by musicians, a colorful way to end our weekend of fun!

Jazz Brunch at Commander’s Palace.

New to #FriFotos? Here’s a quick guide on the rules by Jeffrey Epstein.

#FriFotos was started on 15 October 2010 by Jonathan Epstein (@EpsteinTravels). Jonathan is the President and Owner of Celebrated Experiences, a company focusing on travel to the UK and Ireland. He is passionate about photography, his favorite hobby. Each week Jonathan cohosts #FriFotos with Stephanie Diehl (@TravelDesigned), Charles Yap (@CharlesYap), and Spencer Spellman (@SpencerSpellman). Jeffrey Epstein (@jeffreyinmotion), CEO of HBIM was a key advisor in the creation of #FriFotos and continues to assist in the Forum’s growth and success.

Tzatziki, Peonies and Gin!

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

It was a rainy and unusually humid day in Los Angeles today. Luckily I purchased these peonies two days ago, and they are just now starting to open up and brighten up the kitchen despite the clouds outside.

While I gazed at the pretty peonies, I decided it was time to make one of my favorite summer dishes: tzatziki, a greek dressing or dip, that I usually eat with pita chips. When I do not have time to make it on my own, I purchase a container from Trader Joe’s. But I like my homemade version the best. The dip is pretty easy to make as I don’t even have a recipe to follow but just mix a few simple fresh ingredients together.

First, I put a coffee filter over a strainer and a bowl, and then spoon some Greek yogurt into the filter. I let it sit at least a half hour so that the excess water is extracted. When I first read about making tzatziki, some recipes called for using a cheese cloth during this step, but I found that the coffee filter works pretty well too.

While the yogurt is sitting, I prepare the other ingredients: lemon juice, dill and garlic.

Dill, garlic and lemon. Note the dish is from Portugal – I love making use of items I purchased while traveling.

I chopped a tablespoon or two of dill, minced three to four cloves of garlic, and squeezed the juice out of a half lemon into a bowl. Then I added the yogurt (it becomes even thicker once the water drains), mixed it all together and added salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes I add olive oil too.

I chill the dip in the refrigerator for at least an hour to allow all the flavors to blend together. Just before serving, I chopped up a Persian cucumber to give the dip a crunchy texture.

Finished tzatziki! I served it in a bowl from Sorrento, another purchase from my travels.

Since I’m in a gin phase, I decided to quickly make some gin and tonics (using my new favorite tonic Fever Tree) and serve them with the dip for a pre-dinner snack.

What is your favorite go-to fresh summer dish?

Taking Flight for #FriFotos

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

Last week, the theme for #FriFotos was FLIGHT. Finally I was able to share some of the photos I took from an airplane! I used to always want to sit in an aisle seat when flying, for easy access to the bathroom and to be able to stretch my legs. But, once I was seated at the window after a long-time of aisle-only seats, I saw that being by the window was fun – looking at landmarks, seeing the airport during take-off or landing, and spotting other planes in the sky.

Here are some of my photos from last Friday (May 30th). This week’s theme is colorful, so get your photos ready to post on Friday, June 5, 2015!

Aer Lingus planes in Dublin.

This bird is taking a break from flying and resting on the Manhattan Beach Pier.

Resting on the Manhattan Beach Pier, January 2015.

Here is a view from my seat flying from San Diego up to San Francisco. Whenever I fly up the California coast, I try to sit in a window seat on the right side of the plane.

Flying San Diego to San Francisco in October, 2013.

Leaving Los Angeles (LAX) and going east across the country, most planes bank to the south and then fly over the Palos Verdes peninsula. It was a beautifully clear day in December when I took this photo (en route to Newark).

Beautiful view of the Palos Verdes peninsula. Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach – the “South Bay” are just up the coast.

Arriving into Los Angeles, the approach is from the east. Here, as the sun sets, you can see downtown LA in the distance and the beautiful mountains.

Approaching LAX, December 2014.

One of my happiest views from an airplane is when we fly to Hawaii, especially when we visit Kauai, our favorite island. Even though it was overcast and rainy the day we landed, we were excited to return for a relaxing stay.

Arriving into Kauai, December 2013.

Do you have any fun photos from your flights?

New to #FriFotos? Here’s a quick guide on the rules by Jeffrey Epstein.

Morning Walk: Salamanca

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Kiera Reilly

It is hard to believe that a month ago today, my Insights Vacations tour of Amazing Spain and Portugal was coming to an end. Our group arrived in the late afternoon to Salamanca and checked in to the beautiful Hotel Alameda Palace. We all went on a treasure-hunt type walk of the city, looking for figures on some of the city’s buildings and were then on our own for dinner.

Hotel Alameda Palace in Salamanca seen in the early morning.

When I woke the next day, I could see the early morning light casting a beautiful glow on some of the buildings from my hotel room window. I decided to quickly pack my bags and head out for a walk through the city before breakfast and our departure shortly thereafter.

The pedestrian streets were empty – it seemed that no one except for the street cleaners and trash collectors were out, so I was able to walk quickly through the streets trying to capture some golden light on the buildings and churches.

Golden morning light makes the top of this Salamanca church glow.

I probably needed to be outside the old city boundary in order to see the sun encasing the buildings in light, as walking within the old town, only the very tops of the structures were lit. It was still fun to walk around on my own and see the buildings with no crowds in front of them, unlike our walk the day before when it seemed like everyone was out enjoying the beautiful night.

The street in front of our hotel had a building lit by the sun.

At this intersection, you have to look up at the buildings.

The cathedral is so big that it was hard to fit the top of it in the frame.

Plaza Mayor. It was empty in the morning but full of people the night before.

An empty street leading to the cathedral.

The white design on this building was simple and beautiful.

The Church of San Juan de Sahagun was just down Calle Toro and could be seen from my hotel, with its spire brilliantly lit by the morning sun.

Church of San Juan de Sahagun in Salamanca, Spain.

After walking through the empty Plaza Mayor, I came to this street with two prominent buildings that made you look up to the sky to see their detail – the Iglesia de la Clerecia and the Casa de las Conchas, both had a beautiful orange glow thanks to the morning sun.

On the left is Iglesia de la Clerecia and on the right you see the Casa de las Conchas.

The new cathedral in Salamanca is a massive late Gothic and Baroque structure completed between the 16th and 18th centuries. It took forever to walk around the perimeter of the building to see if it was open this early in the morning. Sadly, it was closed until 10:00 am, well after our bus would be departing. The previous night, we arrived shortly after it closed but we saw people walking along the top of the building – it must be a beautiful vantage point to see the entire city.

I saw some beautiful street art on some of the walls covering work being done on the buildings. I am not sure of the style but I saw it repeated in several places.

Looking up, I thought I saw some nests up above.

I think these storks have the best “condo” in the city!

Using my camera, I zoomed to catch a glimpse of this stork couple with one of the best views in the city.

I thought the shadows on this building created by the iron balconies was pretty.

Walking back towards the hotel, I looked back on San Juan de Sahagun, and it was still bathed in sunlight, but it lost the earlier golden glow I saw.I enjoyed walking around the city, and would have liked to learn more about the University of Salamanca and other sights, but we had only a few hours the night before, and then the early morning when I took this walk to explore. I heard the Art-Deco museum, Casa Lis, is interesting too. Hopefully I can return to wander the streets of Salamanca again.

Have you visited Salamanca? Please share your thoughts below!

Kiera Reilly

Planes, Trains and Formula 1

Monthly Archives: June 2015

Spotting Fangio in Buenos Aires

Travel Treasures: A Hat from Tallinn

Travel Treasures: Portugal, Singapore, Italy and Vietnam

A Visit to Black Friars Distillery and the Home of Plymouth Gin

A Colorful FriFotos

Tzatziki, Peonies and Gin!

Taking Flight for #FriFotos

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