travel photography – Page 79 – Postcards from Barton Springs

Postcard from Bergamo, Italy: Steering classics round and round the town

December 27, 2016 postcardsfromsanantonioLeave a comment

This is the first of a series of “postcards” almost lost in the shuffle of 2016; their delivery has been delayed by more than six months.

The first automobile race through the city’s gates and around the walls of Bergamo was held in May of 1935. Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Bugatti cars completed 70 laps on the winding narrow streets of the hilltop town to attain a distance of 150 miles.

In 2004, the city began hosting annual reenactments of that first event. I’m not much of a car-person, but even I could not resist the charm of these classic cars cruising circling the upper city. These beauties were among the participants on a drizzling day in May of 2016.

The main trophy awarded for pre-war classics at the Bergamo Historic Gran Prix Circuito dell Mura is named in honor of the hometown racing hero, Guilio Foresti (1888-1965). Foresti drove for virtually all of Italy’s famous carmakers. Fans of speed remember his 1927 efforts to break the British speed record of 174.88 miles per hour in Pendine Sands, Wales. He drove a Djelmo, a test car of Prince Dejaleddin. According to William Pearce on Old Machine Press:

On 26 November 1927, Foresti took the Djelmo out on the sands to make a few runs. As was typical, Foresti wore only goggles and no other protection. The Djelmo had exhibited a tendency to fishtail at high speeds. While travelling on the beach at around 150 mph (240 km/h), Foresti lost control. The Djelmo rolled several times, and Foresti was ejected from the racer. Miraculously, Foresti suffered only minor injuries and walked toward rescuers. The fact that he was ejected clear of the rolling Djelmo and into the soft sand probably saved his life. The Djelmo was destroyed. Prince Djelaleddin had lost interest in these speed projects: the Djelmo was never repaired and the twin-engine racer was never built.

Fortunately for amateur photographers, the classics in Bergamo’s Historic Gran Prix cruise at a much tamer speed. The main challenge appeared to be to keep these vintage vehicles in running condition.

Postcard from Queretaro, Mexico: A picturesque center sheltered from the affluence of its suburbs

December 17, 2016 postcardsfromsanantonio1 Comment

A safe haven in Mexico, Santiago de Queretaro has attracted lucrative businesses and manufacturers to establish headquarters in what formerly were its outskirts. The population has swelled to more than one million, with its affluence attracting the 2013 opening of Antea, the largest mall in Latin America. Chanel, Burberry, Michael Kors, Carolina Herrera, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana – they are all there.

Fortunately, you are sheltered completely from all of this when staying in the historic center of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. The heart of the city mercifully remains unscathed by the invasion of fashionable international chains.

The charm of the historic center, as noted by UNESCO, is created by its successful merger of diverse cultures:

The property is unusual in having retained the geometric street plan of the Spanish conquerors side by side with the twisting alleys of the Indian quarters. The Otomi, the Tarasco, the Chichimeca and the Spanish lived together in the town, which is notable for the many ornate civil and religious Baroque monuments, with a skyline that has been defined since the 16^th century. The urban layout of is unique for Spanish colonial towns in the Americas in that its town plan was from the start divided into two distinct sections – one rectilinear and intended for Spanish settlers and the other composed of smaller, winding streets where the indigenous population lived.

Postcard from Queretaro, Mexico: Church and Ex-Convent of Santa Rosa de Viterbo

December 12, 2016 postcardsfromsanantonioLeave a comment

Santa Rosa de Viterbo (1233-1251) donned the simple drab cloak of the Franciscans at an early age, but the interior of the church built in her honor in Queretaro in 1752 is gilded to the hilt. Fresh flowers cover the altar, fitting as Santa Rosa de Viterbo is the patron saint of flower growers and florists. The massive scroll buttresses attached to the façade are decorative, not functional, and are believed unique to this baroque church.