Round About Bonn

A week in Bonn. I was fortunate to experience this a few weeks ago thanks to UNESCO-UNEVOC who invited me to attend a panel discussion on TVET skills and heritage preservation that coincided with the meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in July. During this week I was able to balance work with some sightseeing, photography and I admit, eating like a tourist.

Let me explain. I believe that when travelling to a foreign country, you should experience the culture, and one of the best ways to do so is to eat like a native, not as a tourist. Unfortunately I was unable to do so due to my limited (non-existent) grasp of the language. I admit the reason for this is solely my own. In spite of valiant attempts by a colleague to teach me usable German so that I could at least help myself in basic communication and experience the local cuisine, I failed miserably.

A view of the Rhine River from the UN Campus

A view of the Rhine River from the UN Campus

On the evening that I arrived, my search for dinner ended up at “Pizza Boy”. Yes the menu was in German, but I saw a name was quite familiar: “Hawaiian”. I pointed, nodded my head to the query of “beer?” and that was my first meal in Germany.  For the next two days, I repeated this pattern with minor variations. On day two I substituted “Hawaiian” with “Boston” and on day three I was adventurous, and ordered a pizza without at English name. I have no idea what it was but it had the number “4” in it, which I assume referred to the number of different meats on the pizza. I also substituted the beer with apple juice.  In my defence Pizza Boy was one of the few eateries that wasn’t chock full of smokers. I admit that I will eat moderately unhealthily at times, but I draw the line at second-hand smoke. After all, my body is a temple. One that is in need of more maintenance as the years go by, but still…..

Beethoven's statue.

Beethoven’s statue.

Running along the Rhine

Running along the Rhine

After three days of work, pizza, beer and the hotel’s standard breakfast buffet of sausages, toast, eggs and bacon, I was able to do some sightseeing, walking through the Bonn city centre. The centre reflects the history, culture and pride of the former capital of West Germany. Home of Beethoven, his imposing statue glowers from pride of place in front of the Postamt building. The centre itself is deceptively large due to how compact the streets and buildings are arranged. Just when I thought I had seen everywhere, I made a turn into an unknown location that required exploration. This ended up being an intriguing mix of upscale shops and historical monuments and buildings, many of which were undergoing repairs.

One such structure was the Basilica of St. Cassius & Florentius, which dates to the 13th century. I spent some time walking around it, trying to get a suitable angle that didn’t involve restoration work and was not satisfied with my results. Then I noticed something…people were exiting the church. Needless to say, I entered. Immediately I was enveloped by the quiet and cool, dim light of the interior, which possesses Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque elements. This juxtaposed with the heat of the European summer as well as the bustle of the city centre.

After spending a few minutes to relax and offering up a prayer I made my way back out. An evening meal was becoming a priority and I decided to try something different. I found a restaurant and  ordered and ordered ..not pizza but pasta – without the beer! Okay, I will admit…it was a Pizza Hut restaurant.

Details from a wall on the streets of Bonn

Details from a wall on the streets of Bonn

The High Altar of the Basilica, completed in 1865

The High Altar of the Basilica, completed in 1865

So after an eventful week in Bonn I now need to restart my running regime and get back in shape. My desire is not fueled by all of the bicyclists that rode past me on the streets, nor by the fit looking runners that strode past me in the heat of the day.  It is none of these reasons. The reason why I have been inspired to return to fitness after a week in Germany is really very simple. Eating badly in Bonn.

Imaging Jamaica’s Heritage

I received my first camera in 1988 – which was also the year I started my B Sc in Geography at the University of the West Indies, Mona. The two passions merged and ever since I have been exploring and documenting Jamaica’s interior, coast, caves and offshore cays to showcase the rich natural and cultural heritage that the country possesses:

Immersion at the Inaugural River Breeze Workshop

A spirit of camaraderie characterised the three-day River Breeze Photography workshop held last weekend in the Buff Bay Valley of Jamaica’s Blue Mountains. Based at River Breeze cottage at Cascade, the three participants immersed themselves (at times literally) in all of the activities. Friday morning saw sessions that focused on DSLR camera familiarisation, creative composition and light interpretation and included a short climb to the nearby One Drop Waterfall. The day ended with a night photography session on the grounds of the cottage.  [slideshow id=8]It was an early wake-up the next morning to catch sunrise at the upper Buff Bay Valley followed by a critique session. After lunch we made our way to the Maroon village of Charles Town where the students were exposed to an integral part of Jamaica’s history and culture. That night ended in the coastal town of Buff Bay, formerly the capital of the defunct parish of St. George.  Sunday was a full day, with some of the stops including Fish Dun waterfall, Birnamwood Anglican Church and Avocat. At the end of the weekend, the portfolios were presented and all of the students had very strong work that highlighted their creativity and drive as well and also illustrated the Buff Bay valley. Here is a link to two of the students’ work and above are the students in action.