Roman Aqueduct in Segovia, Spain

Facts about the Roman Aqueduct in Segovia

• 166 granite arches;
• 29 meters maximum height, 15,000 meters long;
• 28,400 hewn stone granite blocks;
• water was collected from River Frio, 17 km away.

What is perhaps most amazing about this site is the complete absence of any mortar — the structure is held together by gravity acting against the proficiently hewn and placed granite stone.

Another site that should not be missed is La Iglesia de la Vera Cruz (constructed in 1208). This 12-sided church, located outside the city walls, was modelled after the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem by the Knights Templar.

Where to Stay in Segovia

Although Segovia is an easy daytrip from Madrid, we recommend staying overnight and enjoying the city, its sites and, of course, its delicious food.

If you want to stay in town, we recommend Hotel Ayala Berganza (C/ Carretas, 5. Tel +34 921460448), a small modern hotel located walking distance from Segovia’s main sites. The hotel was once a palacio and now has 11 rooms all decorated in a different style. The hotel is quite charming and offers rooms at very reasonable rates.

If you want to spend your holiday like the Madrileños, look into staying at Casa deHechizo, a stunning boutique hotel located just 20 kilometers out of town.

Where to Eat in Segovia

Segovia is famed for its food, especially, its cochinillo (roasted suckling pig). We had our best dining experience at Restaurant Duque (Calle Cervantes, 12. Tel +34 921462487), which not only serves up excellent cochinillo, but also serves other traditional dishes, such as judias con liebre (large white beans stewed with rabbit) and gazpacho. They also have an excellent wine list, full of local, high-quality, well-priced wines.

We also ate at El Bernardino (Calle Cervantes, 2. Tel +34 921462477), but although their cochinillo is good, it does not quite rival Duque. There is, however, outdoor seating, which offers a very pleasant experience.

What do Drink in Segovia

Navigating Spanish wine lists can be a bit tricky: they are full of indigenous grape varieties (bobal, cencibel, godello, pedro ximenez, etc) and each region has its distinct offerings.  Whether traveling or at home, our downloadable guide to Spanish wine will help you explore the wines of Spain, region by region, and discover new wines to try.

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History

The Mosque of Ibn Tulun, built from 876- 879 under the Tulunid Empire, is the oldest intact, functioning mosque in Cairo. Further, it is huge, covering approximately 6.5 acres. This is one of the best examples of the classic congregational courtyard mosque design. This is the earliest mosque design, is derived from the layout of what became the first mosque prototype, the house of the Prophet Mohammed in Medina.

The design was influenced heavily by the Great Mosque of Samarra (located in Iraq, built 848-851), where Ibn Tulun received his military training. That said, this mosque’s use of bricks as a building material (rather than marble), arcades based on rectangular piers with engaged colonnettes in the corners (rather than columns), a spiraling minaret (the most striking similarity, both inspired by the shape of the Babylonian stepped ziggurat), and detailed stucco work are clear adaptations from Samarra.

View of the minaret from the courtyard of Ibn Tulun

What to look for during your visit

• Original inscriptions run along the arcades near the ceiling. These Koranic inscriptions are done on sycamore wood and are nearly 2 kilometers in length; at this length, it is estimated that the walls contain nearly 1/15 of the entire Koran.
• Stucco decoration lining the along the arches, interestingly, was created by pressing wooden molds into wet plaster.
• This mosque was the first to use the pointed-arch as part of a vast architectural complex; as a historical point of comparison, note that the pointed arches of this mosque pre-date those of the first French Gothic (an architectural movement synonymous with the point arch, among other characteristics) by more than 250 years!

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Stela A, ceremonial bar (red) and projecting faces from the serpent heads (blue), Copan. Image taken in Copan Museum.

Ceremonial bars — also known as serpent bars — are a common symbol in the Maya world and often depicted being wielded by rulers on stelae.  They are typically employed when stelae were constructed to depict a period ending event.  The bar typically ends in two open serpent mouths, from which gods emerge; the serpent was the means of conveying a hallucinatory vision (the body of the serpent even paralleled the wisps of rising smoke from which burned blood offerings were delivered).

The bar is symbolic of the ruler’s role as intermediary both between the world of the living and the dead (in the underworld) and the world of the living and the gods (in the heavens). In Maya cosmology, this intermediary role is typically filled by the “world tree”, or axis mundi; the tree – with its roots extended to the underworld and its uppermost branches high in the sky – bridges the the same gap among the earth, underworld, and heavens.  Viewed from this perspective, when holding the serpent bar, the ruler effectively assumes the role of world tree, with the bar representing its branches.

Stela D, North Face, with highlights added to ceremonial bar (red) and ruling sceptre (blue). Image taken on location.

How to recognize a ceremonial bar in artistic depictions:

• Usually being held by a ruler;
• Usually held parallel to ground, perpendicular to body;
• The serpent heads on either end of the bar open to reveal to reveal the faces of figures.

To make picking out the ceremonial bars easier, we have applied color highlights to the bars in the images below.

Get the guidebook

Approach Guides just released its first two guidebooks to the Americas: Maya Mexico and Maya Tikal and Copán (Guatemala Honduras).  These guidebooks afford an expansive view of art and architecture in the Maya world.

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Taking a break on the Great Wall of China

One of the most quintessential places to visit in China is the Great Wall located north of Beijing – it is everything that you expect and more. We went to the Great Wall one August morning to find it enveloped in a fine mist and completely to ourselves.

To get a similar experience, we recommend avoiding the overly touristy and Disney World-like Badaling (70 km NW of Beijing) and going to Simatai (110 km NE of Beijing), where you can follow the Great Wall to Jin Shan Ling. Compared to the Badaling portion of the wall, the Simatai – Jin Shan Ling portion is unrestored and offers a more authentic feel.

Your driver will most likely try to persuade you to start at the opposite end (Jin Shan Ling), which sits 300 meters higher than Simatai (making your walk more downhill than up), but hold your ground for two reasons:

1. its safer to go up the sharply inclined and unrestored parts of the wall
2. everyone walks the other direction, so you will have the Wall completely to yourself for most of the hike.

Oh…one last tip…avoid the weekends.

For another account on what to avoid when setting out to visit the Great Wall, see Donna Hull’s excellent baby boomer travel blog, My Itchy Travel Feet.

Where to Eat and Sleep

• At the end of the day, return to Beijing for a rest at Hotel Lu Song Yuan, a charming hotel set inside an old courtyard house.
• Later, treat yourself to the BEST Peking Duck at Beijing Da Dong (SE corner of Chang Hong Bridge and 3rd Ring Road; +86 65822892) They serve the best duck we ate in all of China. The skin is super crispy but not overdone and the meat is lean and tender. They serve it with cucumber, radish, scallion, plum sauce, sugar (for dipping the skin) and garlic (which adds complexity to the dish).
• At least once while you are in Beijing, try the Noodle Loft (No. 20 Dawang Road, Chaoyang District) for a totally unique noodle dining experience. The traditional noodle joint features an open kitchen where the handmade noodle dishes are made to order. Seriously delicious.

Suggested Reading

In addition to our cultural travel guidebooks to China, we highly recommend several books that can be purchased directly from Amazon. These books helped form the foundation of our knowledge and serve as references that we return to again and again.

• A History of Chinese Civilization
• Buddhist Art and Architecture (World of Art)
• The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama
• China: Fragile Superpower

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To help you have the best culinary experience in Venice, we have included a few of our favorite Venetian foods, local wines from the Veneto, and of course, a list of our favorite restaurants.

Top Local Foods to Order in Venice

Seafood is definitely the way to go in Venice. We have pulled out some of our favorite local foods that are typically Venetian. For more tips on the local cuisine, check out our Italian food guide.

• Seppie (cuttlefish, which is basically squid, but a little larger, and with darker ink).
• Cappelunghe (razor shell clams).
• Canestrelli (Venetian scallops).
• Moeche (tiny soft shell crabs, usually fried).
• Branzino (sea bass).
• Razza (ray/skate) – although we enjoy this dish (pan sautéed) in the States, sadly, we never found the dish to be appealing in Venezia.

The Wine of Venice

The Veneto produces some excellent wines. However, while we would certainly recommend going with the Veneto’s signature sparker, prosecco (particularly from the Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOC), the region’s vast and impressive red wine repertoire is not going to work with Venice’s seafood-based cuisine. Since the Veneto’s whites are generally disappointing (based on the trebbiano and garganega varieties), we would suggest looking to the nearby Friuli region. Friuli’s whites are probably the best in Italy. Look for the wines based on the friulano, sauvignon, ribolla gialla grape varieties. Keep in mind that the wines from the Collio and Collio Orientali DOC zones set the standard for the region.

If you are traveling to Italy, make sure to download our wine guide app for the iPhone, iPad or iTouch. You will learn all you need to know about Italian wines and be able to order with confidence in a restaurant or a lcoal wine shop. In addition, the app never requires an internet connection so you don’t risk using an expensive international data plan.

The Best Venice Restaurants

• Antiche Carampane. Rio Terra Rampani (San Polo) 041/524-0165. Great seafood, focused on home-style preparation with high quality ingredients. Excellent, slightly out of the way place for dinner, with a solid friendly staff and a classy, casual atmosphere. Best overall.  Antiche Carampane is a great experience, one of our favorite in Italy.  Closed Sunday and Monday.
• Alle Testiere. 5801 Calle del Mondo Novo (Castello). tel 041/522 7220. Excellent seafood restaurant. Good food, cool vibe, and the best wine list. The most elegant dining of all of the restaurants on this list. The only negative is that the seafood can be a bit over-prepared, meaning that the sauces can sometimes overwhelm the more delicate flavors of the seafood. Only 9 tables, so you have to reserve. 2 seatings: 7:30 and 9:30. Closed Sunday and Monday.
• Al Covo. Campiello della Pescheria (Castello). 041/522 3812. Delicious, very high quality Venetian seafood. Right up there with Antiche Carampane and Alle Testiere, however, we would argue that the energy level and feel are superior at the other two. Further, prices here are at least 10-20% higher than the other restaurants. However, this is the best option for dining on a Sunday or Monday, when the other top two are closed (Al Covo is closed Tuesday and Wednesday).
• La Corte Sconta. (Calle del Prestin, Castello, 3886. Near the Arsenale. tel. 041-522-7024; closed Sunday and Monday; also from 7 January to 7 February, and from 15 July to 15 August. ). An old-school seafood-oriented trattoria, that has a slightly simpler décor than the others on the list (tables topped with butcher paper and red napkins); the seafood quality is like Antiche Carampane and Alle Testiere, but it is more casual and offers simpler preparations. They base their daily menu on whatever the Chioggia fish market has to offer. We do find the service rushed, a bit pushy and prices (food and wine) higher than its peers. Although still a good dining experience, the food is the weakest of the top three.

Get the Guidebook to Venice Architecture

Venice is one of the most architecturally rich, varied, and exceptionally well-preserved cities in the world. Through its position as the maritime trading gateway to the East, Venice made lasting connections with the Byzantine and Islamic empires, giving them exposure to architectural and artistic styles that influenced their own. Learn more about touring the architecture of Venice…

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If you have the chance to stay a few nights in Naples, I highly recommend it. The city has an authentic feel and some incredible restaurants. Below we have listed some of our favorites:

Note: When reserving for restaurants, make sure to do it late (10pm or later) or you will be dining with 1) all tourists or 2) no one. :-)

• ***Da Dora. 30 Via Ferdinando Palasciano; 39-081/680-519. Very good, old school seafood restaurant; the owners sing periodically through the meal. A great experience and highly recommended; it is certainly our favorite restaurant experience in the city (see video for an explanation)!

• Ristorante Pizzeria Bellini Ristoranti. Via S. Maria Di Costantinopoli, 80. Tel 081.459774. Simple restaurant with Neopolitan classics. Linguini al Cartoccio (baked pasta) is a speciality. Pizza also served.
• Da Ettore. Via S.Lucia 56 in the San Ferdinando Quarter. Tel 0817640498. Very good, basic restaurant, with very fresh seafood pasta and pizza.
• La Stanza del Gusto di Mario Avallone. 21 Vicoletto Sant’Arpino, just off of Via Chiaia; 39-081/401-578. Very good food that is more creative that most other places in Napoli; and unlike most Italian restaurants that try to be creative, this chef is actually successful. If possible, opt for his specials as they are particularly inventive (we ate thinly sliced buffalo meat over a strawberry/onion puree and topped with smoked salmon – his take on vitello tonnato). Very friendly service. Watch for his restaurant in Noto, Sicily.
• La Barrique. Piazzetta Ascensione, 9. 081/662721. Excellent little wine bar with a long bar and stools at which you can sit and have a drink (can be difficult to find in Naples). Most people were not there for the bar but for the food (we did not eat here).

When in Naples, we recommend using any of the following guides:

• Guide to the Regional Foods of Italy - Use this guide to find out which traditional foods should not be missed.
• Italian Wine Guide – Order the local wines of Campania or any other area like a pro. Our focus is on value, to help consumers learn how to order great wines at reasonable prices.

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We especially love the Palazzo della Spagnuolo. Via dei Virgini, 19.   Sanfelice’s stairway in this building is distinctive for its height, the large size of its openings onto the courtyard, and the movement of the design. This is a great example of how architecture of the Baroque keeps your eye in movement: notice in this picture how Sanfelice skillfully draws your gaze upward — the lines are sharply vertical and the flanking arches are not regular but follow the line of the staircase — giving the structure a lightness that would otherwise not exist.

Palazzo della Spagnuolo (Naples)

Get Approach Guides’ Cultural Travel Guide to Naples
Check out our travel guidebook Approach Guide to Italy: The Italian Baroque, which offers travelers additional information on this and other Baroque architectural gems throughout Italy.

What to Drink in Napoli (by Approach Guides Wine iPhone app)

The region of Campania (which includes the city of Naples) has more to share with the world than just Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, pizza, Vesuvius and the Amalfi coast; it is also a highlight for wine lovers, producing some of the best wine — both red and white — in all of Italy. We recommend trying a a bold and full-bodied red wine, such as an Aglianico or a medium-bodied and balanced white wine, like a Fiano.

Wine Guide for the iPhone
Learn more about the wines and wine regions mentioned in this post with the Approach Guides Wine iPhone apps and eBooks.

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The Tibetan faithful at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa. Prayer beads are used by both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists.

The use of prayer beads, or japa malas, in both Buddhism and Hinduism speaks to a historical connection between the two faiths; however, Buddhist japa malas typically contain a lesser number of beads than the Hindu japa malas’ 108 — it is usually a divisor of 108. There many potential explanations for the significance of the number 108, however, none alone appears offers a definitive explanation.

The beads are typically made from the seeds or wood of the Bodhi tree (a.k.a. “ficus religosa” or fig tree; this is the tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment) and are typically used as counters, thereby enabling the faithful to keep track of recitations of mantras or prayers, prostrations, circumambulations and so forth.

The large bead on the strand is symbolic of the wisdom that allows one to recognize emptiness (sunyata) and the bell-shaped bead surmounting it is symbolic of “emptiness” itself (the bell is always a Buddhist symbol for emptiness; its ringing is the sound of emptiness).

A few words on Buddhist philosophy: “Emptiness” signifies that everything one encounters in life is empty of absolute identity, permanence, or an in-dwelling ‘self’ (anatta).  All things are connected and mutually dependent, in a constant state of flux, transforming and becoming (rather than self-centered and fixed).  The Buddhists believe that only when this abandonment of “self” occurs can the transcendent state of enlightenment be achieved.

How to Use Buddhist Prayer Beads

A mantra is said as each bead is spun (in turn) in a counterclockwise direction (similar to circumambulation of the stupa).

The rotation through the beads is also typically done in a counterclockwise motion beginning at the first bead after the large central bead. This large bead is used a counter, signaling that one full rotation of the beads (108 mantras) has be achieved. This process is of 108-bead cycles is repeated countless times.

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Approach Guides advocates booking directly with in-country tour operators, tour guides, and drivers, and our list of local providers contains carefully screened, authentic recommendations from real travelers.

The benefits of booking with local professionals is clear. They know your destination like only locals can and will make recommendations for more authentic experiences; further, they can often provide services at attractive price levels. Further, it enables you to put all of your travel dollars directly into the local economy.

Tour Operators & Outfitters

These local, in-country providers will plan your entire trip or book specific travel events for you.

• China. China Base.  Tour agency, based in Shanghai.  Our agent, Bilin, was excellent and very accommodating with regard to our logistically challenging itinerary and last-minute changes.
• Egypt, Sinai Peninsula. Embah Safari. Based in Dahab, Embah is a high-end professional outfitter that will organize a multi-day trip through the desert for you or transfers anywhere you want to go.
• India. Designer Holidays. Based in Mumbai, Designer Holidays offers excellent, tailor-made travel services.  The company will coordinate hotels (at discounted rates), transportation, internal flights and guides.
• Indonesia:
  • Pacto. Based in Bali, Pacto can secure incredible hotel deals. They were also very helpful in contacting hotels when we decided to change our schedule mid-trip. We used them for our airfare, but their rates are not good for transfers or Semeru tours (in fact, they use Edy at Global Adventure to book all of their Java tours).
  • Global Adventure. Owner: Edy Siswanto. Recommended for transfers and tours of Semeru and Bromo.

• Southeast Asia:
  • Exotissimo. Large travel agent, with offices throughout SE Asia; even if you plan to book your hotels/transportation yourself, definitely employ their guides, all of which had an excellent command of the history of each city/site we visited.  They can book custom tours throughout SE Asia.
  • Santa Maria. Travel agent based in Myanmar (Burma). Professional and responsive, they will book as much or as little of your trip as you like. Will also arrange visas on arrival.
• Syria. Nahas Travel and Tourism. Based in Damascus.  Ahmad Shoukair. Will book hotels (at rates below those at which you can book directly) and cars for all point-to-point travel within Syria. Very efficient and professional.
• Uzbekistan. Salom Travel.   Based in Bukhara. Very professional, well-arranged customized tours.
• Yemen. Al Mamoon. Beatrice de Filippis. Will book hotels and cars for all point-to-point travel. Very efficient and professional. Based in Sana’a at the Sam City Hotel Building.

Tour Guides & Drivers

These tour guides and drivers will provide you with on-site guiding services and/or reliable transportation.

• China, Tibet. Kedup. A very solid guide. We would recommend him highly. A thoughtful, intelligent, friendly and laid-back guide…a local Tibetan. He is definitely worth scheduling some time with.
• Egypt, Cairo.  High powered Egyptologist tours: www.arce.org. They will organize an Egyptologist guide and driver for you.  We had Mohammed Anwar, a very personable, friendly guide well-versed in ancient Egyptian history and Islamic Cairo.  Mobile:  (+20) 10/1789 263.
• Egypt, White Desert.  Peter Wirth at International Hot Springs Hotel will organize a private tour (4×4 vehicle, food, and guide) from their hotel in Bahariya Oasis into the desert (1 or 2 nights).
• Honduras, Copan. Tito Ever Serrano.  A very good, dependable driver.  Drove us round-trip from Copan to Quirigua, Guatemala.  504-651-3640.
• India, Agra. Furqan Ahmad Ali.  A very knowledgeable, personal guide to all the sites in Agra.
• India, Chennai. G. Suryana “Surya” Narayanan.   A knowledgeable and very friendly guide for touring Mamallapuram, Kanchipuram, and Tanjore.
• Italy, Florence. Luca di Bari.  Great, energetic, professor-like guide with an overwhelming amount of knowledge about the city.  Tel +39 055/365 692, Mobile +39 335 242 917.
  
• Italy, Ravenna.  Il Papavero.  Manuela Farneti is an excellent guide offering tours of the mosaics in Ravenna, Italy.
• Italy, Venice. Venicescapes.  The most detailed, thoughtful tours of the city.  The best tours we encountered in Italy.
• Jordan, Wadi Rum. The tourist office is the best place to arrange a guide.
• Mexico (Chiapas). Victor Manuel Zetina Ocaña.  Very good guide, English fluency, and provides private transportation throughout Chiapas.  We used his services for transportation to Villahermosa, Palenque, Bonampak, and Yaxchilan.  He is based in Palenque.
• Sri Lanka. We highly recommend a local driver/guide/travel agent named Jagath Wijesiri.  He is very friendly, knowledgeable and a safe driver with very reasonable pricing. www.jagathtours.com.

It is worth mentioning that Approach Guides provides this as an entirely free service.  We have no commercial arrangements with any of these tour operators or guides and receives no benefits, monetary or otherwise, associated with this service. Approach Guides is not responsible for any loss, damage, injury, or inconvenience sustained by anyone that contracts services with any of the companies or individuals on this list.

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Figuring out how to successfully do this conversion has been a difficult process to master.  That said, we have finally figured it out.  For all the self-publishers out there, we have some tips that we believe will come in handy as you look to do the same:

• The easiest way, by far, to do this is to build your books in Adobe’s InDesign (we originally pulled text and images directly in from strictly formatted MS Word chapter files, but now we create, edit, and format our guides exclusively using InDesign).  With InDesign, you can build a SINGLE, formatted book and export it to the required ebook format.
• More specifically, from a single InDesign “book” file, you can export directly to .epub (for  Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo), .mobi (for Amazon), and .pdf.
  • Adobe comes standard with the ability to export to .epub files and continues to improve features for digital publishers.
  • Download Amazon’s free InDesign plug-in that can be used to export to .mobi files.
• Once exported, your books can be previewed so that you can be sure — prior to submitting the content to Apple, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Kobo — of how they will look once formally published.  The formatting trial and error enabled with these preview tools is particularly valuable for “less streamlined” conversion areas such as the table of contents.
  • Download Adobe’s free Digital Editions; you can also save your exported .epub files and view them directly on your iPhone or iPad by placing them in the “Books” sub-folder in your iTunes folder, adding them to your iTunes library (“File”, “Add to Library”), and then synchronizing (make sure that you have downloaded Apple’s free iBooks reader App from the App Store).
  • Download Amazon’s free Kindle Previewer.
• Once you have created the .epub and .mobi files, we would suggest dealing directly with the Apple, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other bookstores as a self-publisher, rather than using an intermediary publisher.  The interfaces are easy and the submission processes are straightforward.
• Before you begin the submission process, you will need two other things: (a) an ISBN number (that can be bought from Bowker – this is not necessary for Amazon and Barnes & Noble); and (b) cover art.

An outstanding resource for digital publishers is Liz Castro’s blog and her book EPUB: Straight to the Point

We hope this helps.  Feel free to email if you have any other questions!

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