to the main entrance of Expo TA
Lovely poster! it attracted attention.
The event had a cosmopolitan air about it which made one feel part of the big world, and that was a good feeling.
Guatemala's attractive space
Czech Republic; nice!
near the Serbia booth- reminder of my Belgrade visit last summer
Taiwan contest with prizes
Odessa girls in traditional embroidered blouses
filipino young woman creating a picture
the picture as seen on the nearby screen
Food , as always, is the star ; fast food outside, in the lovely warm weather, before or after entering the huge Expo building. Cafeteria food (pastry, sandwiches, coffee and beverages ) in the main entrance hall. Inside the booths' area - there were offers of biscuits, candies, cheese, wine to visitors. Culinary brochures with specific food of various regions, were displayed on most of the stands.
Fast food stand in the open air
Fast food stand
eating fast food outside
Cafeteria in the entrance hall
cakes and sandwiches
people eating in the entrance hall
Information pamphlets on Wellness opportunities (spas, beauty, health treatments), are also quite an attraction at these fairs. To mention a few: ayurvedics (India), aquatic pool at Debrecen (Hungary), mineral springs (Romania, Czech Republik, Slovenia).
I came home loaded with stuff I'll have to sort out , view and read. I feel I'm behind with certain geographical and political knowledge, and this stuff will definitely help me catch up with things.
I love things like this and all the freebies that you can pick up. And somehow food always tastes better outdoors. What a fun event, so glad you had opportunity to enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteYes, whenever possible I'll go to this kind of Fair. I was in the 2017 event, and wrote a post on that. It was more successful than the last one. You see, the first part of the two days is dedicated to business transactions among the tourism operators, and that's their main interest, not the visiting public.
DeleteWhat a great idea! It's like traveling the world while staying in place.
ReplyDeleteThat's right. Great idea! I hope they go on with this in the upcoming years. The written stuff: maps and brochures are of a very high quality of paper and pictures. A lot of money is invested in this; maybe too much. Sometimes simplicity can obtain the same results.
DeleteWhat an interesting event. I love to look at maps and brochures and dream about traveling.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Pamela. The event is interesting, colorful, entertaining, mind-broadening. It lasts only two days, so there are years when I miss it.
DeleteThis is a great event. Meeting people, sharing cultures and you'll probably come out with a lot of ideas of places to go, too! Wow. Great pics, too! Very inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI agree with every word in your comment: meeting, sharing cultures, getting ideas, inspiring.
DeleteA small country like Albania, hidden from the world - this kind of fair is an occasion for it to open up, to "sell" itself with maps and person to person explanations. I was very impressed by the Japanese ways of attracting the public; they had a detailed schedule that also included tasting japanese food.
This fair sounds so wonderful, and the food...! Thanks for sharing Duta.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that fast food is the best business in town. It's popular, affordable, and it goes well with all kinds of events, especially a fair like this one, where there is a big crowd.
DeleteThat sounds a great day(or afternoon) out. I wonder whether it was a free event.
ReplyDeleteThis annual fair is a free event; no entrance fee. The stuff displayed on the stands is also free.
DeleteIn previous years there was an attempt to sell specific items. I remember buying some indian leather wallets, but in the ensuing years it stopped, for some reason. Maybe there was no profit in it.
Anyway it is indeed a great day out.
One of my friends has just gone to Czech Prague for a Valentines weekend, judging from their photos at Facebook, I see they're having a good time there.
ReplyDeleteA famous Ukrainian sand painter is currently competing in America's Got Talent and I think you would really like her videos on YouTube. Here's her latest video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvA3GgRbJIg
Prague is a fabulous city, and it has..a Metro. Belgrade should give the metro project a high priority if she wants to attract tourists.
DeleteI like and even envy all painters as I have, sadly, no drawing /painting talent at all. The ukrainian has won the contest, methinks.
Belgrade is a HE not a SHE :) Belgrade actually has one metro station somewhere under the city, it's called Vukov Spomenik, but it has never been fully opened due to the lack of money. Or maybe because the politicians like to steal the money whenever there is some :) But we were bombarded and destroyed too many times in the last century and all the money always went to rebuilding the city not for building a metro, sadly. It is a city which was burnt to the ground fully seven times and then built again like Phoenix the bird.
DeleteYes, she won the contest in her country, I don't know whether she won in USA too.
Thanks for the correction. I always refer to cities as 'she' or 'it' (I looked it up once on the web, that's why).
DeleteBut you're a linguist, and it's your capital city , so you should know better.
As for the Metro, I know about the unfortunate background of Belgrade, and yet a Metro now is a big Must. The city loses tourists to Sophia, Prague, Bucharest, and all the other neighboring countries.
It looks fun and as you are a seasoned traveller and in all seasons!! must have been good to get some maps of new places!! I used to love the attraction, Its a Small World at Disney when I visited there as a child, reminds me a little of that. Did they have a Japan booth??? I hope more people from Israel will come to Japan! :)
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm not that much of a traveller, but I do like maps. I already have a good collection of them.
DeleteYes, Japan did have a booth, quite an attractive one, and the japanese people at the stand were extremely friendly to the visitors. I suppose you feel lucky and happy to live in Japan.
Glad to hear that Japan was there! And the positive impression you had visiting the booth!!
DeletePositive, indeed. I can feel you love this country dearly. And you're not the only one american or other nationality that fell for this country.
DeleteWe always take the opportunity to visit similar events, Duta. You are right about all the “freebies” one can amass during such events. Thanks for the tour all done from the comfort os home. Enjoy all the reading material and hope you find a future trip in the brochures.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you do. Last year I missed it. So this year I decided to go despite an eye allergy bothering me(the eye redness shows in the picture).
DeleteThanks. I really do enjoy now the stuff I brought with me from the fair.
This sounds like a fascinating event, one that I know I would just love. The displays look beautiful, very inventive and all that food would be wonderful. Oh, to have an unlimited travel budget!
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming over to the blog. I love it when you visit and you always leave the best comments. Thank you!
Yes, that's one of the happenings I love to go to. The atmosphere is great, and the display of things captivating.
DeleteWhen it comes to travel, it's not only budget issues; at a certain age, you lack the neccessary energy.
Thank you for your kind words.
I walked through the golden arch in Antigua, Guatemala. The one in your photo. Life on the streets there is busy - a photographer's dream.
ReplyDeleteSouth America was also successfully represented at the Fair by the Dominican Republic, with a very nice booth.
DeleteThese countries are so attractive, but so far away! If only I was younger:)
In the meantime, I enjoy your blog with its awsome pictures from these places.
That's so cool! I bet the food was great. It's fun trying food from all over.
ReplyDeleteIt was not some kind of diverse international food, just the usual fast food (burgers,chicken patties, french fries..)and the proper sauces. But that's what people love to eat all over the world.
DeleteYou must have found the visit very interesting and enjoyable, Duta, and the food looked equally as interesting and enjoyable!
ReplyDeleteIndeed. What's not to enjoy? It's one of the free, colorful, cosmopolitan events in town.
DeleteI went to it with an eye allergy, and came back, thank God, without it. The good air outside, the cheerful atmosphere inside, made me feel better.
A great event to visit for sure. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it via your post Duta.
ReplyDeleteI'm also glad your eye allergy cleared up... a lovely day to distract you from that annoyance was just the thing!
Two days prior to my going to the Fair, I dusted some old stuff and that might have given me the eye redness.It was quite disturbing, but I went nevertheless. Thank God, it has cleared up.
DeleteThe fair sounds to me like a real "shot in the arm" to get you going in your geographical research. I'd be drawn to the Czech exhibit and would want to experience a pastry in the food section! You sound stimulated and eager to examine it all! I hope they blessed you with fun goodies to enjoy in that tote bag. God bless you, dear Duta.
ReplyDeleteYes, the pastry looked very tempting. Well, food is always the best part of any event. It has always been, and it will probably always be so.
DeleteColorful, entertaining event sounds about right. Thanks for sharing your day with us in these pictures. The fair looks like something my daughter and I would have visited together a while back. We loved going to these things. Now she’s all grown up and does her own thing.
ReplyDeleteYour daughter sounds ok to me with her having "her own thing". I'm sure , however, you two have still lots of opportunities to enjoy together all kinds of events.
DeleteThis looked really fun!
ReplyDeleteI adore the sand art!
cheers
It appears many love sand art. There are regional and international contests with winners and prizes. At the above Fair it was quite an attraction.
DeleteDuta, I enjoy your travel posts so much. Informative with personal insight as well as great pictures. Terrific.
ReplyDeleteI want to thank you for your comment to my last post. It was good for me to read and contained a lot of wisdom.
Thanks, Linda, for your kind words about my post.
DeleteYou're very welcome. Your allusion to 'wisdom in my comment on your post, is very flattering.
First off, I love those palm trees in the second photo, definitely something we don't see here.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great event you attended, Duta! How interesting and I wish we something similar here! Would love to see the Guatemala, and Cypress displays, plus the booths with special attractions. I can imagine the fun time you will have sorting through all the "goodies" you collected, reading it all and learning about the areas. Good post, Duta! Thanks for sharing!
I guess you might have something similar in your part of the world, you just don't know about it.
DeleteAnyway, you imagine right about my post-event fun, that is, reading the stuff I brought with me.
I love going to those kind of events, especially when they contain information from others countries.
ReplyDeleteI looked at your profile and it did not contain what you do in Israel. Of all the places we have visited, Israel is my favorite. Truthfully, after our first visit I prayed God would send us there, but He direction was for Bolivia, South America. We have visited your country three times and I would go again tomorrow if the funds were there. One of the gentlemen on the bus from our first trip told me comes to Israel because it is the center of the world. I will have to come back again, I am interested in you take on a few things.
Nice to hear about Israel being a 'favorite' and 'center of the world'. It has its problems: terror, boycott, hostile neighbors, but it also has a lot of attractions for tourists.
DeleteI think that was real interesting to visit !
ReplyDeleteI think so too. It's not for the first time that I visit this tourist market, so I have a positive opinion about it. I only hope it's not going to decline in the future.
DeleteGreat Post as always, been so darn busy. Maine is having a cold winter. Still volunteering at the soup Kit. This year I only do one day a week. 7AM to 12:45 I get home at 1:15 and go to bed. Pray for America we need it with the Idiot in charge
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you Yvonne, and glad that you're busy, and volunteering even now in the cold winter. Kudos o you!
DeleteΠολύ ωραίες οι φωτογραφίες σου Duta, με ταξίδεψες σ΄όλο τον κόσμο!
ReplyDeleteΚαι στην Ελλάδα γίνεται κάθε χρόνο μία EXPO τουριστική. Έχω μία ντουλάπα γεμάτη με πολύχρωμα έντυπα:)
Σ΄ευχαριστώ πολύ για την επίσκεψη και τα επαινετικά σου λόγια!
So Greece has also a tourist Expo! Well, I'm not surprised as Greece depends a lot on tourism to its islands and main land.
DeleteBy the way, Greece was very well represented at our Expo; a lot of stuff for the visitors.
That sounds like such a great afternoon, DUTA! I've said it before, but I so appreciate the places you take your readers. We're a world apart, but you make me feel like I'm there. Thanks for taking us along.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Bica. I'm glad of your appreciation.
DeleteOh what a great place to visit and gather information from Nice that the place looks good and people are dressed in their countries cloths and love the sand painting. Makes me all want to travel. The food is looking good too
ReplyDeleteHi Marja,
ReplyDeleteComing from you, who lives in N.Z., a country which is considered Paradise,anything you say about the place I've described in my post, makes me feel good.
What a good event this sounds, very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing your photographs, especially the ladies dressed in their national costumes.
All the best Jan
Yes: good, positive, interesting and entertaining. Having said that, I must confess I was a bit disappointed; it seemed to be on the decline compared to previous years.
DeleteSuch great pictures, and sounds like you had loads of fun. I'm always excited to try new foods too! Hugs...RO
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed an opportunity to take some indoor photos and practice photography with poor light and flash.
Delete