Frans Cafe

Looking for a coffee or a light snack in Sao Paolo, Brazil? Well Frans cafe on Haddock Lobo near the junction with Av Paulista is high on my list of recommendations.





This 24 cafe, part of a chain, has really nice staff, and is very GLBT friendly - right down to the free publications it carries for customers. Internet access as well and a great place for people watching. What more could you want?

Check out their website at: www.franscafe.com.br/

Walsingham

Walsingham was a major shrine to the Virgin Mary in the UK before the reformation. The small village is now a centre for Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox christians. The Anglican shrine is focussed on a replica of the original Holy House that formed part of the original shrine.



In part of the pilgrimage complex is another chapel which is dominated by an art work by David Begbie which using metal mesh creates stunning images and shadows. This was the first work I had seen of Begbie's.

More example of his work are on his website at
http://www.davidbegbie.com/

Playa Chihuahua, Punta del Este, Uruguay

One of my favourite beaches in Uruguay at Punta del Este. The beach stretches for miles backed by pine trees and a brackish freshwater lake. Playa Chihuahua is one of the few naturist beaches in South America - perhaps not surprising it is in Uruguay! Sadly not all the users look like this!

This Youtube clip is a short news item on the Chihuahua beach (in Spanish)

shreenathjee

One of the most unusal places I visited in India was the Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara. Shrinathji is one of the representations of Krishna and this is a major shrine for a particular sect within Hinduism. The temple itself is home to a very important image which is dressed and displayed to the faithful in events called Darshans. The garments used represent different stages in the day and times of year.

The temple is managed with a ritual day that reflects Rajastani palace life in the early medieval period. A form of artwork has developed which represents the image during the Darshans. These paintings, called Picchvai, are very popular devotional aids and beautiful pieces of art. The picture shows one of them.

The Temple has a website in Hindi at http://shreenathjee.com/

Le Gai Moulin

10 rue Saint Merry, 75004 Paris. My favourite restaurant in Paris found by chance during a trip in the early 90s

Sarita Colonia

While in Lima I visited the grave of Sarita Colonia. Described as the patron saint of homosexuals, bus drivers, taxi drivers, job seekers and migrants is Sarita Colonia who was born in Lima in 1926 and died in 1952 and is buried in Cementerio Baquijano in Callao.

A lot more about her and the cult that has developed around her at
http://arturovasquez.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/sarita-colonia/#more-422

Some Photos I took of this rather strange place

Cycladic Art

I first came across these cycladic figures when living in Greece in the early 80s. I was fascinated by them, particularly this head which I had only seen in reproduction prior to visiting the archeological museum in Athens. Part of the fascination had been the lack of eyes - during that trip to Athens I saw that they originally had painted features.

Querelle

This is an amazing film - I have never been able to manage the book but the film by Fassbinder is captivating. The two Youtube clips below show the section where Q pretends to lose at dice in order to find a way of surrendering to his sexuality while trying to maintain some sense self image.