World Series: Irish Silence

Arriving at the Dublin Airport was exciting. I'd always wanted to see Ireland. They say that the whole place is green. They say that the air is clean and the people are nice. Now at last I get to check it out for myself.

The airport was small but that's okay, I like them that way. A car is rented and the bags are put in the trunk. There's a map in the glove compartment and I realize that I can go anywhere. I don't have any appointments. I don't have any deadlines. So I get the idea to put away the map and get lost. No map, no plan, no specific direction.

I get on the freeway and see that the legend is true. It is green everywhere. On the sidewalks, in the mountains, in front of people's homes. Green is the national color and with stunning reason. I'm not sure where I'm headed but my compass in my dashboard tells me that it is south.

I decide to get off and check out the local scene. I see the beautiful homes and can only imagine how simple there lives must seem. Time here passes slower than in a big city like L.A. or N.Y. And that's a good thing - more time to enjoy life and friends. A paved road ends and a gravel one begins so I accept the invitation and go up a small hill not knowing what to expect. As I go up all I see is blue. It's a blue that is vivid. Wow. Then the road starts down revealing the coast and the Atlantic Ocean. There are only a couple of homes out here right on the sharp edge of Ireland. Talk about solitude. I get out and walk around. The breeze is hard but liberating. I smell the freshness of the wind and then notice it. There's no one around. There are no cars (except mine) and there's no sight of any civilization as far as I can tell. It is silent...

-Santiago Valencia

Travel: Night Streets of Dublin

The last time I was in Dublin I got to stay a couple nights and enjoy the night life. I cruised the streets and saw so many interesting images that I went back to my hotel and grabbed my camera. I knew that I would regret it if I didn't. I was impressed with the lighting job they did to the buildings - it was all color coordinated!! Cool.


As you can imagine the pubs always had people surrounding them. Now I'm not sure if it's the water or just that I was in Ireland but the beer there tasted soooo good. I'm not really a big drinker but when in Rome... ;)



Sometimes it was like being on a film set. Something we are only used to experiencing at Universal Studios...





If you haven't been there I would recommend you bring someone special. The walks in the city are very romantic.



There it is. The main building for Heineken Beer in Dublin. Think they give free samples??? :)
-Santiago Valencia

Travel: Passau at Christmas

In 2004 I visited Passau, Germany while taking river boat cruise down the Danue. The experience was unforgettable. I'm used to cruising on huge ships like that of Princess Cruises. But this Uniworld river boat cruise was so amazingly intimate. As you passed small towns like Passau it felt like you could actually reach out your window and touch the buildings.

Here are some selected photos from that visit...


When you walked down the streets it wasn't unusual to pass by interesting passways like this. They would lead you to taverns or courtyards or another maze of small passways. Very cool.




I loved the cobblestone streets that Passau offered...


This was my river boat, the River Duchess...


Arriving in the morning you could get off and explore the towns at your leisure. Then come back on the boat to have lunch and then go out again. It was so peaceful and beautiful.


You even get to attend special classes and presentations depending on what town you were in. Here is a master baker demonstrating how to make ginger bread cookies. They were, as you would expect, excellent and so fresh. :)


Going into a chocolate house this was a small sample of the endless choices they had for you to feast your sweet tooth on!...


Oh, yeah. And this is the foot traffic at rush hour.
No joke!...


This was a back street where you would park your car if you had one. Much better looking than a parking structure wouldn't you say?



Since it was Christmas time there were so many family shops open that you could just walk into. I love this picture of the plethora of Santas that you could pick from. All hand made and unique. Reminds me of 'Nightmare Before Christmas' figures. Ho ho ho! Where's Zero?


A Mid evil door. Such character.



Inside the town church. Gorgeous...




Nightfall. Very quiet and cool.
-Santiago Valencia

World Series: Passau, Germany

Here we go. Another image added to my World Series photography line. This time we go over to Germany.

A couple of Christmas' ago I took a river boat cruise along the Danube River that hit amazing towns like Passau and Regensburg. This image is of the Passau Castle across from the town of Passau. I can't even explain how great the experience was. It was like stepping back to a time when people actually dealt with one another. Not through emails and cells but up front and personal. Walking to the baker to get your daily bread, then to the silversmith to get your pots and pans and then to the farmer for some fresh eggs. Wow.

Taking a river boat cruise was so intimate that when you passed the towns you could almost touch walls, homes and clock towers that have been there longer than the U.S. has existed! Hope you like it and hopefully one day you'll visit Passau yourself. Totally worth it.

-Santiago Valencia