The starting point is the port Don Diego, on the outskirts of the colonial zone, right where you see the walls surrounding the first city in America, and so we left for a long ride through the malecon, some of the main streets Santo Domingo, the government offices, Congress, the National Theatre… A stop outside the presidential palace allowed the Finnish tourists boarding the bus to take beautiful photos of the rear gardens of this beautiful building, dating from the 40′s.

The bus tour ends in the Plaza España, where a walk by the main monuments of the colonial zone began. The Alcazar de Colon was the first place we saw, from there we walk through the first streets of the New World, visiting monuments such as the Panteon Nacional, Fortaleza Ozama, the Cathedral, etc, the guide (very well prepared) described some of the history of these incredible sites.

Personally I really liked taking this ride, because, I’ve seen these places all my life but the perspective of a tourist is quite different, I love the domain of the guide had on each site visited and the details he gave, even many of these I had not heard before.

And right there where the bus left, the tour ended, at the port Don Diego just outside the walls surrounding the first city in the new world.

The train passes through numerous monuments, houses, mansions, streets, cathedrals, churches, monasteries, ruins and other buildings that make up the historic center of Santo Domingo, while passing through these places a recording is giving facts interesting of the most important places.

The recording you hear is full of such interesting details that make the listener want to know even more and if you lose some fact just need to ask your friendly guide who is in total capacity of answer any questions.

It has no stops but the coordination between the recording (in several languages) and the train speed is impressive, none is early or late, this same speed also allows you to take one or another photo, and of course, you can always go to any of this places by foot and take all the photos you want.

For more details go to their website: http://chuchucolonial.com/

See our album in facebook here

Invitations are available here, the event is free but you’ll have to pay the entrance fee to the Centro Cultural, which is only RD$100.

The host of this event will be Carlos Miranda Levy, 2.0 Relief founder, Fellow at Stanford University and Social Entrepreneur in Residence at the National University of Singapore, who will share his experience in the field on the recent disasters in Japan and Haiti and the role of mobile technologies and social networks to articulate local actors and global volunteers for an efficient and sustainable recovery process. Carlos is part of the organizing team of TEDxEarthquake9.0 in Japan, Singapore and TEDxPortauPrinceTEDxKRP in Haiti and guest lecturer at TEDxTokyo.

TEDTalks to be shown:

Cameron Sinclair on open-source architecture

Peter Haas: Haiti’s disaster of engineering

Erik Hersman on reporting crisis via texting

VENUE AND DETAILS:

Sala Arturo Rodríguez, Centro Cultural de las Telecomunicaciones
Isabela Católica esq. Emiliano Tejera
Santo Domingo, Dominican Repúblic
February 11th 2012
10:00 am-12: 00 pm

Type of event: Cinema
This event is invite-only.

Find TEDxSantoDomingo in: Twitter, facebook, web

According to the story this dessert is the result of an accident committed in the Tatin hotel in Lamotte-Beuvron, France in 1889, where two nun sisters, Stephanie and Caroline, were neglected in the kitchen and apples are spent cooking. To not waste them, they put the dough on top and baked.

Then they turned around and served it, so the apple tatin mentioned so much in the classic French cuisine, was born.

RECIPE TO TASTE AN EXQUISITE TATIN INGREDIENTS:

-       A tart pan 12pax

-       6 golden apples

-       2 cups sugar

-       1 tablespoon unsalted butter

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 180°C, peel the skin and seeds of apples, and chop them into two or four, take the pan and add butter in small pieces, and put sugar on top. Place apples and a cup of water. Then place the pan on the stove in medium heat so that it forms a kind of caramel.

At that time remove from the kitchen and let stand about 5 minutes so caramel sets. After taking the caramel, cover the pan with foil and Bake 10 to 15 minutes, remove from oven and let rest.

Then the final step is to place the cold disk of dough over and bake our apples for 15 minutes at 170°C, get it from the oven, let it rest for a few minutes and serve.

In the second half of the nineteenth century, Don Andres Brugal Montaner, a Spanish citizen who had emigrated to Santiago, Cuba, decided to move to the Dominican Republic and settle permanently in Puerto Plata, a beautiful coastal city in the north of the country. Don Andres had experience with the manufacture of rum in eastern Cuba and with that experience Brugal & Co. was founded in Puerto Plata in 1888, ushering in a long family tradition.

In our 120 year history we have been leaders of the industrial development of our country, in 1920 we created the golden rum segment.

In order to improve the quality of our products we built the first tanks for aging rum in oak barrels. In 1952 we created the segment aged rums. In 1976 we established the segment premium dominican rums with our Extra Viejo and in 1988 we pioneered the category of super premium rums with our Siglo de Oro.

In the last decade Brugal has begun a successful process of entering new markets and strengthening its presence in North America, Europe and Latin America in order to increase exports and ensure its ongoing process of growth, currently reaching third place in sales worldwide.

Photos by Orlando Rincon.

By visiting this national park people get surprised to see its lush vegetation and four small lakes that nature has left as a legacy for visitors to enjoy it.

The lakes are inside a big cave (or grotto) and its waters come from an underground river that flows into the nearest beach (Boca Chica).

According to some information the discovery of the cave was in 1916, however it is also said that our first natives used it to hold some religious activities.

Did you know that… The name of this cave mentions the firsts three lakes  discovered, but some time later became aware of a fourth lake existence.

The name of the first lake is “The Sulphur Lake”. As its name indicates its water are sulphurous, very cold and if you approach to its waters you can see some small turtles swimming.

The second lake is a very small one; its name is “The Ladies Lake”. One of the characteristics of this lake is that is shallow.

The third lake is “La Nevera” (The Refrigerator). Its waters are very cold especially in winter times when its temperature can reach about 15° Celsius. In this beautiful lake there is a balsa wood moved by a man pulling wires that transports the visitors to the fourth lake.

The fourth and most beautiful lake is the ”Zaramagullones”. This one is the deepest of all, the color of its waters is green and aquatic plants and rocks surround it. Did you know that…  According to the stories told by locals, one time ago in this lake lived a crocodile.

Another attraction of this place is the interesting fauna, during the tour of the trail you can see some birds, some bats inside the cave or maybe you are lucky enough that an iguana wants to pose for a photo.

To see the complete article click here: http://turismoverde.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/natural-attractions-in-santo-domingo-citynational-park-the-three-eyes/

Walking down Calle Las Damas there is a row of seven restaurants with large front patios overlooking the Plaza España. Among these is the first tavern of the Americas, the always-popular Pat’e Palo, where Chef Saverio Stassi serves a modern European Brasserie menu in the unparalleled atmosphere of this 1505 building. For casual dining or an afternoon coffee, there is no better place than sitting outside in the shade, watching the world go by at Cafetería Peñalba, located right in front of the cathedral.

Juan Mayí is an abstract expressionist painter who has lived in the Colonial Zone for over 35 years. His inspiration comes from color, life and the energy of the Caribbean. Mayí studied painting in Paris and his works have been exhibited in europe and the caribbean.

To attend the launch on Tuesday, January 10 (7pm) in Pat’e Palo, you need to RSVP via email (pavol@patepalo.com) or by phone with Pavol Kazimir (809-993-6394).

We recommend, go to Pat’e Palo, have a delicious dish made by the chef Saverio Stassi and enjoy some of the great pieces of this dominican master of abstract painting.

Dominican Rum is, by law, aged to perfection for minimum of 12 months in charred oak casks beyond 12 years while developing aromas and flavors resulting in a light to dark color over time.

There are two main brands on the Dominican market.

Barceló fermented and distilled from sugarcane juice and aged to perfection in San Pedro de Macorís on the south east coast resulting in a wooden and floral taste. Their newest product, Barceló Imperial Premium Blend 30 Aniversario, is one of the most fascinating rums I have tried.

Brugal fermented and distilled from molasses and aged to perfection in Puerto Plata on the north part of the country resulting in a caramel, buttery taste. Their latest product Brugal Siglo de Oro, edicion limitada, is a wonderful example of the family’s rum experience.

It’s a paradise that offers a wide variety of flavors.

Enjoying an evening with a glass of rum paired with first class Dominican chocolate or delicious tobacco is a must. Rum is pleasure in a glass!