2012 Archives - Page 2 of 2

I was visiting Medellin, Colombia on business for a day of meetings. The usual hotel near our offices was booked, so I stayed at the further away, but nicer InterContinental Hotel. It turned out the week was a very busy one: Fashion Week Colombiamoda was ending and the Flower Festival / Feria de Las Flores was starting, so I was lucky to get a room.

My stay was very short and I had no time for tourist things. So I took some pictures from my mobile phone while at the office and in a car.

The hotel is in the El Poblado area just off the Via Las Palmas highway. This is a major road that you follow to get to the airport. Just a short ways South on Via Las Palmas, there is a beautiful lookout point where you can see Medellin. My host took me here at night and it was breathtaking! It was a popular spot with lots of other people enjoying the view, too.

For reference, my cityscape photos were taken the Forum Skyscraper, 23rd floor. The building is located right next to a popular shopping place called the Sante Fe Mall. Both of these buildings are located in the La Aguacatala barrio of the El Poblado district of Medellin. A very nice section of town mixed with residential and business.

Medellín sits in the Aburrá Valley surrounded by hills that make up a section of the Andes Mountains. The city is at an elevation 5000ft; just North of the equator, the climate is beautiful — it never really gets too warm or too cold. It was between 60 and 75 when I was there, and it was late in July.

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I was done with my last day of meetings in Paris, and from my hotel I went for a walk before dinner.

I was staying two blocks from the La Tour Eiffel; I started from here, walked through the Champ de Mars (park land area by the Tour Effel), then North East up Rue Saint-Dominque, turning right onto Rue Cler. At the Southern point of the street, I made my way over to the École Militaire, where I walked my way toward La Tour Eiffel and back to my hotel.

Along the way I saw the following noteworthy sites: Église Saint-Pierre du Gros Caillou, Cavalerie, Joffre equestrian statue, Le Mur pour la Paix / The Wall for Peace.

Rue Cler. I learned about this street from the Rick Steves TV show. It’s a lively market street with fresh food, boulangeries, flowers, and outdoor cafes with lots of people and atmosphere. It was fun to walk through.

Champ de Mars. This is the park area between La Tour Eiffel and the École Militaire. I have been here before, but I haven’t ever walked it from the South East. First thing I noticed was the Peace Wall. This was a really nice monument, ironically located across the street from the military school. Also, the park was the site of a very lively outdoor concert with lots of people listening to the music.

This was a delightful early evening walk!

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