Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 84

Sights to See: Riviera Maya, Mexico

Riviera Maya runs south of Cancun for 81 miles along the eastern Caribbean coastline of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.  Situated in the state of Quintana Roo, it begins south of the Cancun International Airport in Puerto Morelos and extends past Playa del Carmen through Sian Ka'an--the first established Biosphere Reserve in Mexico and a UNESCO World Heritage site.  The area is covered in dense tropical jungle and features nonstop powdery white sand beaches.  It is renowned for its Maya culture, history, and archeological sites, as well as for its immense network of underground rivers and more than 100 cenotes.  Adventure activities include kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, hiking, bird watching, and deep sea fishing.  The main road is dotted with charming boutique hotels and lavish luxury resorts; many are all-inclusive.



image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Misc.: 747 landing at Queen Juliana International Airpot on St.Maarten

Check out this unusual landing strip at Queen Juliana International Airpot on St.Maarten.

Book Reviews: ART Travel Guide

My sister, Connie Terwilliger, just published ART Travel Guide, a guidebook to art sites throughout the U.S.  This excerpt is about the Pageant of the Masters . 


This amazing event began over 77 years ago, the week after the Los
Angeles Olympic games in 1932. Laguna Beach was attempting to attract
tourists to its then-faltering town. Living Pictures Show was created by
artist and vaudevillian Lolita Perine and was a small success. Three
years later, Roy Ropp, another artist and construction worker, expanded
the concept and renamed the event The Spirit of the Masters. Now called
Pageant of the Masters, this one-of-a-kind spectacle lasts two
months—July and August—and sells out early.



When the live music begins from the orchestra pit, the performers on
stage freeze and become part of a “live painting.” The entire
presentation, lasting over two hours, is accented with unusual
acoustics, live music and showmanship. About 30-40 familiar paintings
are “enacted” during the evening. “How did they do that?” is a common
question. Most of the actors (volunteers) within the “live painting”
manage to not even twitch! The lighting and scenery production is so
good that the “painting enactment” appears three-dimensional. On
occasion, the actors intentionally move out of position, allowing the
audience to see how the living painting is composed, which creates total
amazement for the audience.


From bronze sculptures to Meissen china, Boticelli to Warhol, all are
depicted with utmost refinement. Each year a different theme is played
out. The traditional piece at the end is Leonardo’s Last Supper.

Binoculars are helpful for seeing the details of each painting
performance and can be rented outside the theatre. Arrive early for the
pre-production entertainment: food, music and art at the Laguna Beach
Festival of Artists, with some 145 artists selling two- and
three-dimensional artwork on the grounds. Today, the Festival of Arts
Permanent Collection, expanded annually through purchases made from the
exhibiting artists’ work, contains more than 300 pieces.


A most unique event!


650 Laguna Canyon Rd, Laguna Beach, CA. 800.487.3378.  



Image:  Recreation of Arthur Rackman’s 1908 illustration Meeting of Oberon &
Titania. ©2011 Festival of Arts/Pageant of the Masters. Photo by Rick
Lang.

Sights to See: Mary’s Well, Nazareth, Israel

Mary’s Well   This famous site is believed to be where the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that she would bear the Son of God (an event known as the Annunciation).  Located just below the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, the well is positioned over an underground spring that was for centuries a local watering hole for the Arab villagers.  It is now like a city park.



More things to do in Israel.



videos c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Sights to See: Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, Nazareth, Israel

Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation/Church of St. Gabriel/St. Gabriel's Greek Orthodox Church  Probably established in Byzantine-era Palestine, this Eastern Orthodox church was rebuilt during the Crusades and again in the 18th century.  It currently serves Nazareth’s Arab citizens.  The church is located over an underground spring, which according to Eastern Orthodox belief is where at the time of the Annunciation the Virgin Mary got her water.  Water from the spring still runs inside the church apse and also feeds into the adjacent Mary's Well, located 150 yards from the church.



More things to do in Israel.



videos c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers



church interior:





well:   

Good Eats: St. Peter Fish & Grill Restaurant, Capernaum, Israel

St. Peter Fish & Grill Restaurant  Not only does this large and popular restaurant overlook the Sea of Galilee, but visitors here dine at long tables on an assortment of delicious shared salads plus their own farmed whole talapia—almost like folks did back when the fish actually came from the Galilee. 



image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Sights to See: The Yigal Alon Center, Capernaum, Israel

The Yigal Alon Center   Kibbutz Ginosar 1490, 972-4-672-770.  A decade ago, a 2,000-year-old fishing boat (from the 1st century A.D.) was discovered buried in the Sea of Galilee mud.  Nicknamed the “Jesus Boat,” it is displayed in a protected environment in a grand new center where it is still undergoing conservation.  Jerome Hall, from U.C. San Diego, is documenting the boat.  “I’d like to get into the mind of the person who built the boat,” he says.  “Laying under here for 16 years I’ve heard everything,” he adds.  Hall is currently finishing a book about the boat.  “The boat has its own story to tell in its wood.”  He thinks the boat was built from pieces of other boats and that it was sitting on the shore being taken apart when something cataclysmic happened and it was covered with mud.  He thinks the boat builder was brilliant but limited by what was available.  “He built the boat he could, not the one he wanted.”



image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Xantener Eck, Berlin, Germany

Xantener Eck  Xantener Strasse 1, (0 30) 8 83 90 14.  B-L-D daily (opens
at 9am).  In business here since 1907,
this cozy corner beer pub serves up great brew and inexpensive traditional
German fare.  




 image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers


Pension HotelPension Rheingold  Xantener Straße. 9,
+ 49(0)30 885961-0.  Includes breakfast.  This attractive, well-priced B&B-style lodging is just a few doors
away.  




 More things to do in Germany.

Sights to See: Regensburg, Germany

Located at the
northern-most point of the upper Danube River and an easy 1½-hour train
ride northwest of Munich, this prosperous town was the original capital
of Bavaria
(about 900 years ago).  A two-night stay
will let you see the important sights.  Read more. 



More things to do in Germany.

 

image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 
 

Sights to See: Key West, Hemingway Home & Museum

Ernest Hemingway
seems
to haunt every part of laid-back Key West. 
Here, at the literal end of the road, everyone has a story about him. 
Even the descendents of his own polydactyl (six-toed) cat, Snowball. Read the entire story.  



image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers