Recently in Travel Category

In late March, the Guardian reported (HT to Kottke) that a Kevlar flower observation deck will temporarily be added to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
 

My Photo, December 2007		Artist's Rendition

My initial reaction was utter disdain, considering I was already unimpressed with the "swarm of fireflies" lighting effect used in the evenings.  But it turns out that the artist came up with an unsolicited mock-up of something that could be done but hasn't been commissioned or selected. 

As much as I wanted to say that the Grauniad had once again earned its wings, they were really just following various architecture and design sites ... and the text accompanying the architect's own project site contributes mightily to the deception / confusion.

So where does that leave us?  Wondering what exactly a further modified Tower might actually be, hoping that it's Vegas that takes the leap instead of the Parisians.

At the end of 2007, I was fortunate enough to spend three days wandering around Berlin... and with some tips from friends who have spent some quality time there, I had a fantastic time. I found it to be a very comfortable city, particularly when contrasted with Paris a few days later. Regrettably, I don't have any pictures from the various Christmas markets we visited along Unter den Linden, but here are a few mementos:

Remains of Berlin Wall, Mauerpark		Insane Climbing Apparatus, Mauerpark
The Unreal White and Gold Tree at Kaufhaus des Westens		View from KaDeWe Wintergarten down Tauentzienstraße

So yes, I finally earned my very own bumper sticker this week, the New England classic that seemingly adorned 3 out of every 10 faux-wood-paneled station wagons in my Boston neighborhood growing up.  Do not be fooled by the imposters -- only the original will do. 

The drive up the mountain is truly worth commemorating -- nearly eight miles long, averaging nearly a 12% grade, barely two car widths across for most of its length, no guardrails anywhere, various sections still not asphalt paved, ending about 30 feet below the actual rockpile summit that sees the sun less than one third of the time, 6,288 feet above sea level, the highest point east of the Mississippi and north of the Mason-Dixon line. By the time I got to the top, wandered around for a couple minutes, stared into the fog and rain, shook my head in bewilderment at tourists strolling around in flip-flops, and then drove back down, I was completely exhausted for the rest of the day.

Sadly, this photo is from the one and only Mount Washington Auto Road site.  My own car decided to start misfiring on one of its four cylinders a day before I made the climb, necessitating a trip to the garage on a Friday that wouldn't be completed until the following Monday... the handy rental was up to the task, but I can't deface it with my bumper sticker.

It wouldn't be Coursing without music, so here's the obvious tie-in:

• Damon & Naomi, "This Car Climbed Mount Washington" (Shimmy Disc, 1992)

(Dewplayer [*])

This re-recorded, Kramerized version is found on the album "More Sad Hits." I preferred the simpler version from the "Pierre Etoile" EP (Rough Trade, 1991), but that record is basically lost to the mists of time (or rather, the Rough Trade bankruptcy and liquidation) unless you're truly committed to purchasing 16-year old vinyl. In any event, the song captures some sentiments of the drive pretty well -- "and when we're halfway there, tell me it's the top" -- while also tackling interpersonal tensions and other confusions that are just under the surface so much of the time.

A 1997 issue of Ptolemaic Terrascope (print / web -- the two are now separately run) features an interview in which Damon and Naomi recount, once and for all, the breakup of Galaxie 500, the recording of the original (and unintentionally ironic) Pierre Etoile demos, and much that had transpired to that point.  And they're still at it today, with print publishing and their own record label as part of the mix. 

[*] "Dewplayer" is freeware courtesy of Alsacreations, with a polite nod to the sixty-riffic "Asi Se Fundo Carnaby Street" site for first making me aware of the functionality.  The player is lightweight and seems to work well, and it may well be my primary music encoding mechanism for the future (sidestepping some of those nasty unresolved legal issues around MP3 blogging), assuming it doesn't put my bandwidth numbers through the roof.

One musical selection -- "Spectrum" offers us all some words of wisdom to consider for the new year, courtesy of Don Cornelius and the Soul Train Gang (circa 1975). I'd probably expand the sentiment a little to reflect the broader issues in contemporary society, but the general idea is right on (as are the groovy back-up singers).

Listen to Spectrum:

I'm checking in from Flagstaff, AZ where I'm looking forward to the "Great Pinecone Drop" tonight, from three stories above the Weatherford Hotel.

Best wishes to all, and to all a good night.