Blogtrotter

A NEW BLOG HAS ARRIVED!

2010-01-14T08:48:00.003Z

THIS BLOG HAS COME TO AN END AND A NEW ONE HAS ARRIVED: BLOGTROTTER TWO (NOT MUCH IMAGINATION...)!

The blog that now comes to an end was created to show some memories from the digital era travels around this not so small world. It shows what happened from November 2000 through January 2009: three hundred and forty flights, 515,719 miles flown and 1183 hours and 50 minutes in the air...

Nowadays travelling has gone to an even much slower pace and the new Blogtrotter Two hasn't so much to show... Anyhow, hopefully there will be some interesting posts on some known or less unknown destinations. Look forward to see you THERE!!

Of course, the Revival 70s & 80s as well as the Revival 90's will continue to be updated, though you don't pay any attention to them... There are, however, some true gems there... :-)

Hope that you enjoy the new blog at least as much as this one!

SEE YOU AT BLOGTROTTER TWO!

PS: Sorry my Followers; you'll have to move to the new location... ;)

LA PETITE FRANCE

2010-01-02T00:35:00.006Z

THIS IS MY POST NUMBER FIVE HUNDRED ON ALL BLOGS, AND MOST PROBABLY THE LAST TO BE PUBLISHED ON TRIPS HERE!! A NEW BLOG WILL BE CREATED SOON TO SHOW MORE RECENT TRIPS!!

Meanwhile, a reminder:
Blogtrotter Revival 70s & 80s has a wonderful post of some beautiful people twenty years younger and at least twenty pounds thinner at the Bernese Oberland,
and
Blogtrotter Revival 90s has a fabulous view from the top of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Don’t miss!! :-)

***

STRASBOURG - JANUARY 2009

The Pont St-Martin, near the restaurant seen on Smilebox in the last post, marks the beginning of the district known as La Petite France (Little France), where the city's millers, tanners and fishermen used to live.

"OLD & NEW - Mix of buildings at the entrance of Petite France"

"REGENT PETITE FRANCE - My favourite hotel in Strasbourg..."

"MAISON DES TANNEURS - Also known as «Gerwerstub», the Maison was built in 1572. Formerly a tannery, it became a restaurant in 1949 and was restored in 1972 for its fourth century anniversary"

"ILL RIVER CANAL - Near the Hotel Regent and the Maison des Tanneurs"

"RUE DU BAIN AUX PLANTES - Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century houses with carved woodwork"

"LA PETITE ALSACE"

"DORURE, RESTAURATION & PEINTURE"

"PONTS COUVERTS - At the far end of a series of canals are the Covered Bridges, built as part of the fourteenth-century city fortifications and still punctuated by watchtowers. Just beyond is a dam built by Vauban to protect the city from waterborne assault"

"DAM"

"ILL RIVER"

"TREE"

"BOOKS, TREE AND CHURCHES - Counter-clockwise: Au coin Litéraire, Petite France Tree, St. Thomas, St. Jean and St. Pierre le Neuf"

"PALAIS DE JUSTICE - Professional deformation"

STRASBOURG IN WINTER

2009-12-27T11:36:00.003Z

STRASBOURG - JANUARY 2009

(EDITED: Just removed the YouTube video that was no longer working...)

"ALPS - View from the airplane on the way to Frankfurt"

"MORE ALPS - The views came out quite well on this sunny winter day... Don't miss them and turn the speakers on"

"SAINT PIERRE LE JEUNE - One of the most important church buildings of the city, it has been Protestant since 1524"

"PLACE KLÉBER - 9:00 A.M."

"TEMPLE NEUF - Another Protestant temple"

"PLACE DE LA CATHÉDRALE"

"CATHEDRAL - Its construction started in 1176 and lasted for centuries. According to Wikipedia, the North Tower, «at 142 metres, it was the world's tallest building from 1647 to 1874, when it was surpassed by St. Nikolai's Church, Hamburg. Today it is the sixth-tallest church in the world»"

"CATHEDRAL'S FAÇADE - The famous west front, decorated with thousands of figures, is a masterpiece of the Gothic era"

"STAINED GLASS - Exterior"

"CATHEDRAL - Seen from South"

"ROHAN PALACE - Façade facing the Ill River. Built between 1731 and 1732, it represents the high point of local baroque architecture. It houses three of the most important museums in the city since the end of the 19th century: the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Decorative Arts and the Museum of Fine Arts, as well as the Gallery Robert Heitz"

"PLACE COCHONS DE LAIT"

"ILL RIVER AND PLACE DES COCHONS DE LAIT"

"ILL RIVER AND BRIDGE"

"CATHEDRAL - From the River"

"FAÇADES - On a blue sky"

"LAHKÄS - Introduction to the Gourmet Section"

"GOURMET - Au Crocodile: founded about 1790 as the Cafe Viennois, it had three Michelin stars but lost one some years ago. Legend is that the name was changed to Le Crocodile when Jean-Baptise Kleber, a general in Napoleon's army, brought a crocodile back from Egypt and offered it to the restaurant. Pâtisserie Christian: two different locations in buildings of the 16th and 18th centuries. Jeff de Bruges: chocolate also in Strasbourg. Hotel Regent Petite France: my favourite in Strasbourg. For the «À l'Oiseau de France» and the next page «Maison Kammerzell», «Au Pont Saint Martin», «Aux Bons Crus d'Alsace», «L'Ancienne Douane» et »La Maison des Tanneurs», there are lovely buildings and mixed feelings on the food... Buerehiesel is missing on the photos, not in the memories... Less expensive, «Le Tire Bouchon» is nice"

ROUND AROUND LONDON

2009-12-23T11:00:00.005Z

LONDON - DECEMBER 2008

The «pocket sun» was working and the weather was gorgeous for a winter day in London!!

"LONDON EYE"

"ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL"

"THE CITY OF LONDON"

"CHARING CROSS"

"CANARY WHARF"

"ST. JAMES PARK"

"THAMES"

"BARBICAN"

"DALI"

"BIG BEN"

"CAUTION - FILMING IN PROGRESS"

"CANOEING"

"WESTMINSTER PALACE"

"VICTORIA TOWER"

"BURGHERS OF CALAIS"

"BIG BEN AND LONDON EYE"

"NELSON MANDELA"

"WESTMINSTER ABBEY"

"LIVING BY THE WINDOW"

"EVENING SHOPPING"

MY BRITISH MUSEUM

2009-12-19T22:19:00.002Z

LONDON - DECEMBER 2008

The British Museum is one of my favourite museums in the world. It's huge, its site is fantastic and that's where all the information that accompanies the pictures below was found and borrowed.

It's hard to choose a limited number of pictures to post from the hundreds of pictures I have. But the idea is just to raise your curiosity (for those who have never been there) or stimulate the appetite for a return (for those who are repeated guests...). The result, anyhow, is always rather poor compared with the sumptuousness of the place!!

"OLDEST ITEM DISPLAYED - A stone chopping tool from the Lower Palaeolithic, found in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Made nearly two million years ago, stone tools such as this are the first known technological invention. Using another hard stone as a hammer, the maker has knocked flakes off both sides of a basalt (volcanic lava) pebble so that they intersect to form a sharp edge. This could be used to chop branches from trees, cut meat from large animals or smash bones for marrow fat - an essential part of the early human diet. The flakes could also have been used as small knives for light duty tasks. Chopping tools and flakes from the earliest African sites were referred to as Oldowan by the archaeologist Louis Leakey. He found this example on his first expedition to Olduvai in 1931, when he was sponsored by the British Museum"

"KING AMENHOTEP III (1390-1352 BC) commissioned a large number of statues of himself, mostly for his mortuary temple on the west bank of the Nile. This head (from around 1350 BC) was found in the Temple of Mut, south-east of Karnak. Royal statues in Egypt were sometimes usurped by later rulers. The normal procedure was simply to re-carve their name over the old one, but in some cases the physical features were also altered. Ramesses II (1279-1213 BC) seems to have altered a number of statues of Amenhotep III, namely changing the characteristic thick lips of the older statuary to thinner ones. The statue wears the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt"

"RAMESSES II - One of the largest pieces of Egyptian sculpture in the British Museum, weighing 7.25 tons, this fragment of his statue (dating from about 1250 BC) was cut from a single block of two-coloured granite. He is shown wearing the nemes head-dress surmounted by a cobra diadem. It was retrieved from the mortuary temple of Ramesses at Thebes (the 'Ramesseum') by Giovanni Belzoni in 1816"

"THE ROSETTA STONE - The Rosetta Stone, dating from 196 BC, was discovered in 1799 in Egypt. It is one of the most important objects in the British Museum as it holds the key to understanding Egyptian hieroglyphs. The front of the Rosetta stone is smooth and crammed with text, inscribed in three different scripts. The top consists of fourteen lines of hieroglyphs. The middle is made up of thirty-two lines of demotic, the everyday language used in ancient Egypt. At the bottom are over fifty lines of tightly compressed Greek writing. The inscriptions are three translations of the same decree, passed by a council of priests that affirms the royal cult of the thirteen-year-old Ptolemy V on the first anniversary of his coronation. In the early years of the nineteenth century, scholars were able to use the Greek inscription on this stone as the key to deciphering the others"

"LION - Guardian figure from the entrance to the Temple of Ishtar, Nimrud, Northern Iraq, adjoining the palace of King Ashurnasirpal II (who reigned between 883 and 859 BC). This gigantic standing lion, roaring angrily, formed one of a pair. The placing of figures of lions beside the doors of temples or the gates of cities was an ancient custom in Mesopotamia. Actual lions were common in the region and survived there until the nineteenth century. The lion is covered with a dedication in cuneiform, consisting of a prayer by Ashurnasirpal to a version of Ishtar called Sharrat-niphi, followed by a record of some of his achievements"

"WINGED BULL, KHORSABAD - This colossal human-headed winged bull magical figure, discovered by the French archaeologist Paul-Emile Botta between 1842 and 1844, is one of the heaviest objects in the Museum. It once guarded an entrance to the citadel of the Assyrian King Sargon II (721-705 BC) in Northern Iraq. The fifth leg is an artistic convention to enable the figure to be seen either from the side, walking, or from the front, standing. Between the legs of the winged bull there is a long cuneiform inscription listing Sargon's titles, ancestry and achievements"

"DYING LION - A stone panel of around 645 BC, from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh, Northern Iraq, symbolizing the triumph of the Assyrian King over nature.
This panel was part of a series of wall panels that showed a royal hunt. There was a very long tradition of royal lion hunts in Mesopotamia, with similar scenes known from the late fourth millennium BC. The connection between kingship and lions was probably brought to western Europe as a result of the crusades in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries AD, when lions begin to decorate royal coats of arms"

"THE NEREID MONUMENT - Taking its name from the Nereids, sea-nymphs whose statues were placed between the columns of this monumental tomb, it was built for Erbinna, ruler of Lycian Xanthos, south-west Turkey. Although he was not Greek, Erbinna chose to be buried in a tomb that resembles a Greek temple of the Ionic order. The monument is much influenced by the Ionic temples of the Acropolis and its decorative sculpture is a mixture of Greek and Lycian style"

"WEST PARTHENON - RIVER GOD ILISSOS - The central feature of the west pediment of the Parthenon was the colossal statues of Athena and Poseidon in contest for Athens and the land of Attica. The reclining figures in the corners of the triangular composition perhaps represent the rivers of Attica. This figure (about 438-432 BC) is thought to personify the river Ilissos, by comparison with figures on the east pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia; the Greek historian Pausanias names them as the local rivers there"

"WEST PARTHENON - IRIS - The west pediment of the Parthenon showed Athena and Poseidon accompanied by divine messengers, Athena by Hermes, Poseidon by Iris. She is shown as if just alighting on the Acropolis. Her drapery is pressed flat against her body and flutters out at the edges. It was held at the waist by a bronze girdle, now missing. Her wings, also missing, were socketed in to her shoulders at the back, where the joins would not have been seen"

"EAST PARTHENON - DIONYSOS - The central section of the east pediment of the Parthenon showed the birth of Athena. This reclining figure almost certainly represents Dionysos, god of wine. He looked out from the pediment towards the corner and the chariot of Helios, god of the sun, rising at daybreak"

"VENUS - This Roman sculpture (about 100-150 AD) was one of a dozen or so found at Campo Iemini, dug up in spring 1794 by Robert Fagan (1761-1816). Fagan was a a prominent member of the younger generation of British dealers and excavators resident in Rome. The beauty of the statue's well-preserved head was particularly celebrated. The Venus is of the Capitoline type, named after the most famous copy in the Capitoline Museum, to which some at the time of its discovery claimed it was superior"

"LUNCH BREAK - At Do & Co, the Museum restaurant"

***

"MOAI - Human figure called Hoa Hakananai'a (hidden or stolen friend) made of basalt, 2.42 metres tall. Images relating to the bird man religion are carved in relief on the figure's back and back of head. Dating from 1000-1200 AD, it was found in the Orongo ceremonial centre in Easter Island. Know nothing about the sculpture head..."

Edited: Thanks to Thérèse I found that the head is a sculpture - Mask II - from the Australian artist Ron Mueck!

"SKULLS - NO PHOTOGRAPHY"

"QUETZALCOATL - This mask (15th-16th century AD) is believed to represent Quetzalcoatl («the feathered serpent») or the rain god Tlaloc. Both deities are associated with serpents. The mask is carved from a single piece of Cedrela odorata wood and covered with turquoise mosaic work. The teeth are made of white conch shell. The design incorporates two serpents, one in pale green turquoise and one in blue, which encircle the eyes and are entwined over the nose and around the mouth. The serpent tails finish at the temples with rattles that are moulded in relief and were originally gilded. Turquoise mosaic plumes hang on both sides of the eye sockets"

"DOUBLE SNAKE MOSAIC - This striking object (an icon of Aztec art) was probably worn on ceremonial occasions as a pectoral (an ornament worn on the chest). It is carved in wood (Cedrela odorata) and covered with turquoise mosaic. The wood is hollowed at the back. Serpent imagery occurs throughout the religious iconography of Mesoamerica. The serpent is associated with several Aztec deities including Quetzalcoatl (Feathered Serpent), Xiuhcoatl (Fire Serpent) and Mixcoatl (Cloud Serpent) or Coatlicue (She of the Serpent Skirt), the mother of the Aztec god Huitzilopochtli"

"KUDARA KANNON is a statue of Kannon and made of gilded camphor wood. It is 210 centimetres in height and shouldering the halo. The statue is unique in Japanese art, and regarded as one of the most important works in the ancient Japan. The word Kudara is the Japanese for the Baekje Kingdom. A text from 1698 describes the statue as being rediscovered, but its origin is still unknown. Its name was given in the Meiji period, because its style resembled traditional Korean statues"

"AYZEM-MY - Figure of Kamakura or Muromachi period, 14th-15th century AD, Aizen is one of the five Myō-ō «Kings of Light», personified spells and protectors of the esoteric Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism, whose principal deity, Dainichi Nyōrai, is the Buddha from whom boundless light emanates. Aizen is usually portrayed wearing a lion-skin hat or wearing a shishi head-dress and he sits on a lotus throne. He has six arms, each holding one of his attributes: bow, arrow, vajras (thunderbolts), some missing from this figure"

"JAPANESE ARMOUR SET - This composite suit of Japanese armour brings together items from different periods (Momoyama period, late 16th century - cuirass and sleeves; Edo period, 17th century - helmet; 18th-19th century - remainder). The helmet is in the tradition of earlier pieces which were often given a hideous face-mask with bristling whiskers to strike terror into the enemy. With the arrival of firearms in the sixteenth century new bullet-proof cuirasses were developed in Japan, copied from European models. The example here is signed by Unkai Mitsunao"

"TATE MODERN 2058"

LONDON IN DECEMBER

2009-12-14T09:12:00.001Z

LONDON - DECEMBER 2008

Early December has two holidays in Portugal: the 1st and the 8th! In 2008 they fell on Monday, which was a nice timing for a short break, mostly cultural... The destination was London and as you'll see in the next posts, my pocket sun was in very good shape: cold, but sunny!!

"THE ASCOTT - This time we stayed in The Ascott Residence, a serviced appartment in Mayfair. They say they offer «an unparalleled refuge of timeless elegance, unwavering taste, and unrivalled personal attention and business service support»; it's not only publicity..."

"HILL STREET GARDENS - One doesn't see them at street level, as they are protected by high walls; but that was the view from the The Ascott towards Hill Street"

"MAYFAIR - Early on a Saturday morning: the sun was shining and the streets were empty..."

"YAZO SUSHI/THE KING'S ARMS - Clients will have to wait..."

"WINDOWS - Amazing!"

"FDR, CHURCHILL & CO..."

"BERKELEY SQ. GARDEN - London is known for its parks and gardens. Early morning on a sunny Saturday, there is a lot to enjoy..."

"RUSSEL SQ. STATION - The target was the British Musum, so the best way to make it was the Tube from Green Park to Russel Square. The Russel Sq. station, designed by Leslie Green, was opened on December 15, 1906"

"THE BRUNSWICK CENTRE - One of Britain's few remaining modernist housing projects suffered a recent transformation. It looked quite attractive and there was the «Patisserie Valerie» and the cinema «Renoir» for people to enjoy..."

"RUSSEL HOTEL - After twenty millons pounds of restoration it looks much better..."

"RUSSEL SQUARE"

"BLOOMSBURY SQUARE"

"ARRIVED - But the British Museum, that's for the next post..."

BILBAO BY NIGHT

2009-12-07T09:17:00.001Z

BILBAO - NOVEMBER 2008

"ABANDO - The railway station, called Abando-Indalecio Prieto and locally known as Estación del Norte, is the main station in Bilbao. It has an amazing artistic stained glass at the atrium showing all the economic activities in Vizcaya"

"CHURCH - Near the Gran Via"

"FOSTERITOS - Access to the metro is provided by glass structures named «Fosteritos», after the architect who designed them Norman Foster"

"ARRIAGA THEATRE"

"CITY HALL - Seen from the Arenal Bridge, with reflections on the River Nervion"

"SOROLLA - «Vision of Spain» by the Valencian Artist Joaquin Sorolla, a collection that gathers fourteen great canvases, was commissioned by the Hispanic Society of America at the beginning of the 20th Century. The fourteen murals, representing the Provinces of Spain, were installed in December 1922, although they were not officially inaugurated until January 1926. Since then, the paintings have remained practically untouched, but due to a full restoration of the Sorolla Room, they travelled to Spain..."

"NECESITAMOS PAZ (WE NEED PEACE) - Provincial Government House"

"GRAN VIA"

"VERANDAS"

"CHAVARRI PALACE - Old mansion completed in 1894 for the Chavarri brothers, engineers who contributed to Vizcaya's industrial development. The building with a colourful marble front presents a great number of windows and balconies, each in its own shape and style. It's home to the Government Headquarters nowadays"

"LAMP SCULPTURE"

"SHERATON HALL"

"SHERATON BAR"

"DEUSTO UNIVERSITY - And the Pedro Arrupe «Pasarela»"

"DE LA SALVE BRIDGE - Under the full moon"

"FIRE SCULPTURE - At the terrace of the Guggen"

PUENTE VIZCAYA

2009-12-02T21:15:00.003Z

BILBAO - NOVEMBER 2008

The Puente Colgante» (Hanging Bridge) was inscribed in 2006 in the UNESCO's World Heritage List. According to the UNESCO's site, «Vizcaya Bridge straddles the mouth of the Ibaizabal estuary, west of Bilbao. It was designed by the Basque architect Alberto de Palacio and completed in 1893. The 45-m-high bridge with its span of 160 m, merges 19th-century ironworking traditions with the then new lightweight technology of twisted steel ropes. It was the first bridge in the world to carry people and traffic on a high suspended gondola and was used as a model for many similar bridges in Europe, Africa and the America only a few of which survive. With its innovative use of lightweight twisted steel cables, it is regarded as one of the outstanding architectural iron constructions of the Industrial Revolution».

"LAS ARENAS - To get to the bridge from Bilbao, the best way is taking the Underground to the Las Arenas station"

"PORTUGALETE - The Bridge was the solution to the problem of connecting the Las Arenas to Portugalete without disrupting the maritime traffic of the Port of Bilbao and without having to build a massive structure with long ramps"

"PUENTE COLGANTE - It is the world's oldest transporter bridge, designed by Alberto Palacio, one of Gustave Eiffel's disciples"

"PLATFORM"

"INSIDE"

"UPPER PLATFORM"

"PORTUGALETE - From the upper platform"

"GLIDING"

"PORT OF BILBAO"

"LAS ARENAS - From the upper platform of the bridge"

"NEPTUNE DEFEATED - Monument to Evaristo de Churruca, the builder of the Port of Bilbao"

Bharat of the wonderful blog Unseen Rajasthan, was so kind to pass me this lovely award. Thanks Bharat!

CASCO VIEJO AGAIN

2009-11-27T19:39:00.004Z

BILBAO - NOVEMBER 2008

The Medieval Citadel of Bilbao (Casco Viejo) always deserves a return...

"FALL COLOURS"

"DEUSTO UNIVERSITY - A privately-run university which belongs to the Society of Jesus"

"NUNS' RESIDENCE"

"INDIAN SUMMER - Enjoying..."

"ZUBIZURI - Calatrava's pedestrian bridge resembles a white sailboat on a crystal platform"

"SCULPTURE"

"AYUNTAMIENTO (CITY HALL)"

"NERVION RIVER and the Arriaga Theatre. Built by Joaquín Rucoba and Octavio de Toledo, it was opened on 31 May 1890 and named after the Bilbao-born composer Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga"

"RAILWAY STATION"

"FAÇADES"

"RIVER & RIVERSIDE MARKET"

"MARKET VITRAL"

"SAN ANTON - A Gothic church built over the ruins of the old city's fortress at the end of the 14th century"

"ST. JAMES CATHEDRAL - Built in Gothic style at the end of the 14th century, it became a cathedral in 1949. Its Neogothic tower and the main façade were finished in 1887"

"ST. JAMES SQUARE - It shows an elegant fountain designed by Luis Paret during Carlos III's reign"

"PLAZA NUEVA - The first square in Bilbao, designed by Antonio de Echevarría, and finished in 1849"

"SIETE CALLES - Seven Streets (+2) with Verandas and a shop window; again with Smilebox... Probably a bit boring to see..."

PASEO DE LA MEMORIA

2009-11-22T01:30:00.003Z

BILBAO - NOVEMBER 2008

The Paseo de la Memoria (Memorial Walkway) - a new park (whose construction started in 2002, as part of the urban remodelling of the Abandoibarra area - is a tribute to the industrial past of the city, with lots os sculptures by modern artists. Just imagine this wonderful site with decadent docks, old ships and dirty cranes; that's how we saw it in 1976...

"EUSKALDUNA - The Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall, opened in February 1999, was built in part of the area that was formerly occupied by the Euskalduna shipyards. It has an auditorium with 2,164 seats"

"EL VIGIA - The Watchman by Eduardo Chillida"

"JUDITH (and the cranes) - A neo-expressionist view of the heroine of Bethulia"

"MAIA by William Tucker - Woman and Earth"

"SITES AND PLACES by Angel Garraza"

"BALLERINA by Dali - See the lion on the top of the white building..."

"SCULPTURES"

"EUSKALDUNA - Panels"

"MARITIME MUSEUM"

"DRY DOCK"

"AT THE WHEEL - Awaken..."

"OLD STATUE - This 5 metres tall statue was created by Angel Calahorra, and was erected by popular subscription in the mid 1920s"

"DOÑA CASILDA DE ITURRIZA PARK - Constructed between 1912 and 1920, inspired by French parks, it has a magnificent pond. In the 1920s, a roofed gallery was raised surrounding the allegorical monument dedicated to Doña Casilda, sculpted by Agustín Querol. The monument has been moved away, and today the central square is occupied by a Fountain"

"RAINBOW"

"TONETTI, the clown"

"STREET BASKETBALL"

"MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS"

"MOYUA PLAZA - How do you like this experience?"

BACK TO THE GUGGEN

2009-11-15T15:00:00.001Z

BILBAO - NOVEMBER 2008

Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is an outstanding building and an excellent museum. So, there is always a good reason to get there again and again...

"PUPPY - Jeff Koons' West Highland White Terrier..."

"GUGGEN - From the green..."

"GUGGEN - From the Pedro Arrupe pedestrian bridge, with the Gran Domine Hotel at the far right"

"GUGGEN - From the other side of the River Nervion"

"MAMAN - The giant spider by Louise Bourgeois"

INSIDE"

"RICHARD SERRA"

"INSIDE RICHARD SERRA - Not like «Being John Malkovich»..."

"TULIPS by Jeff Koons"

"FULL MOON"

"REFLECTIONS"

A HOTEL WITH A VIEW

2009-11-10T08:05:00.003Z

BILBAO - NOVEMBER 2008

In November 2008 I went back to Bilbao, this time with my companion for the last thirty nine years, who hadn't been there since 1976... We stayed at the Gran Domine, and the view was this, from East to West...

"DE LA SALVE BRIDGE - With the ship structure of the Guggenheim Museum heading towards East"

"LIKE A SHIP"

"ROOF"

"FROM THE BEDROOM"

"FROM THE LIVING ROOM"

"WORKS - After the construction of the Guggen, Bilbao experienced a tremendous activity, not only from the cultural point of view, but also economically speaking. Works are carried on all over town..."

"LIVING ROOM"

"BEDROOM"

"BATHROOM - Philippe Starck"

"MARISCAL - The Hotel was entirely designed by Javier Mariscal - the creator of Cobi, the mascot for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Mariscal designed everything, from the uniforms to the façade, including the graphic image and its website, as well paintings and sculptures we may find inside the Hotel"

"FROM THE TERRACE - There is a wonderful view of the Deusto University"

"FROM THE TERRACE -Towards the Guggen"

"FOSSIL CYPRESS - At the hotel's centre, there is Mariscal's "Fossil Cypress," a trunk of rolled stone that stretches the vertical length of its interior for 26 metres"

"HALL"

"BAR"

SEA SYMPHONY

2009-11-05T20:55:00.001Z

KEKOVA - SEPTEMBER 2008

The name «Kekova» describes the region encompassing the island of Kekova, the villages of Kaleköy and Üçağiz and the three ancient towns of Simena, Teimussa and Tersane. The region was declared a Specially Protected Area in 1990 to protect the natural, cultural and geographic richness of Kekova Island and surrounding coast.

"BLUES - The colours of the sea on this tour are incredible!"

"CRUISING - The «Kekova Roads» are very popular with yachts cruising along Lycia's Turquoise Coast. They often anchor here to enjoy history, turquoise water, sun, islands, unspoilt nature, blue skies and wonderful swimming, as we'll see further down"

"BRIDGE"

"KEKOVA - The highlight of this tour is the ancient Lycian sunken city of Simena, often referred to as Kekova-Simena. Along the island are the half-submerged ruins of the residential part of the city, caused by the downward shift of land by the terrible earthquakes of the 2nd century AD. There is usually a long line of tourist boats to see the ruins"

"WATER TAXI - There are also some fishermen reconverted into water taxi drivers..."

"STAIRS - Half of the houses are submerged and staircases descend into the water. I can't stop admiring the amazing colours of the water!!"

"SUNKEN BUILDINGS - Foundations of buildings may also be seen below the sea"

"ENJOYING"

"DREAMS COME TRUE"

"SUNKEN PORT - The foundations of the ancient harbour may also be seen below the water, but the water colours are awesome!"

"SWIMMING - You're no longer allowed to swim at the ruins; so the alternatives are some quiet, wonderful bays near the site..."

KALEKÖY, aka SIMENA

2009-10-29T00:26:00.001Z

CASTLE'S VILLAGE - SEPTEMBER 2008

Kaleköy, «Castle's village», in Turkish, known as Simena in ancient Lycia, is now a village of the Demre district in the Antalya Province, located on the Mediterranean coast. The ancient Simena was once made of two parts - an island (known as Kekova) and a coastal part of the mainland (Kaleköy). From inscriptions that have been found, we know that the history of the ancient city of Simena goes back to the 4th century BC.

"ON THE WAY - From Cayagzi, the harbor of Demre"

"DEMRE BAY"

"CASTLE - The village is overlooked by a Byzantine castle, built in the Middle Age by the Knights of Rhodes, partially upon ancient Lycian foundations, to fight the pirates nested in Kekova"

"YACHT HARBOUR - A bit too empty these days..."

"I LIKE THE SUMMER..."

"SINGER/SULTAN - You'll probably need to enlarge the picture to see how Sultan looks like Singer..."

"VIEW - Inside the castle there is the smallest of theatres among the cities of Lycia, carved into the rock, with a capacity of about 300 people, a sign that this was a minor settlement in Roman times"

"FRAMED"

"BAY - Looking from the castle it becomes clear how a natural safe harbour this is. The actual shelter for yachts was Teimiussa (Ucagiz), a landlocked bay surrounded by green hills"

"NECROPOLIS - At the eastern end of the village is a Lycian necropolis with a cluster of some very nice sarcophagi overlooking the sea and surrounded by ancient olive trees"

"CARPETS"

"PORT"

"CAFE ANKH"

"DEMRE BAY"

"LUNCH TIME"

SANTA'S HOMELAND

2009-10-24T08:45:00.001+01:00

DEMRE/MYRA -SEPTEMBER 2008

Saint Nicholas (270 - 6 December 346) is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, in Lycia. Born in Patara, he was elected Bishop of Myra, and died there. The stories of his charitable acts took on legendary dimensions during the following centuries. One of these stories concerned three boys who were hacked into pieces by a greedy butcher, who salted and pickled them for sale in his shop. Nicholas miraculously restored the boys to life. On another occasion, on hearing that the daughters of a poor Myran could not marry for lack of a dowry, Nicholas stole under the man's window at night and left a bag of gold for each girl. Also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker, he had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out, and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose English name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas.

This post shows some of the sites in Lycia that St. Nicholas frequented, far from the reindeer and from the snows of mythic Lapland...

"TAHTALI MOUNTAIN - The Turkish Riviera near Antalya has a peculiar feature as one may join holidays in the mountain with holidays on the beach. Actually, on the way from the Palmiye beach resort to Demre, one comes across with the Tahtali Aerial Cableway, which leads you to Mount Tahtali, at 2,365m above sea level. With a length of 4,350 meters, the Tahtali Cableway is said to be the longest cableway in Europe, and the second longest worldwide"

"TEKIROVA is one of the four municipalities of the Kemer region"

"CLOCK TOWER"

"KUMLUCA - Named after its sandy soil (kum means sand in Turkish), Kumluca, with some thirty thousand inhabitants, has excellent soil conditions for growing watermelons..."

"SEA & ROCKS"

"FINIKE - The port is now a yacht marina, and has a small fishing fleet, but Finike is best known for its oranges"

"BAY in the morning"

"EMPTY BEACH"

"SAINT NICHOLAS - There is a story (and a controversy) behind the statues of St. Nicholas shown in Demre. The first, on show from 1981 until 2000, is a large bronze figure carrying a gift bag over his shoulder, and surrounded by three children. In December 2000 Russian sculptor Gregory Pototsky and Moscow mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, presented Demre with this figure, dressed as an Orthodox bishop. Russian tourists and pilgrims invaded Demre to pray at the base of the statue. In 2005, a new image appeared and the saint was tucked away to the courtyard wall outside the church. That's where this picture was taken"

"SANTA CLAUS - In 2005 the town council removed the bronze statue, replacing it with this bakelite Santa Claus. This change was controversial and raised international protests. However, despite pressure, Santa still stood until December 2008. The most recent image is a new «Turkish Santa», unveiled Christmas Day, 2008. It seems that his author, sculptor Necdet Can, tried to make it «look like Turks». It seems however that the statue doesn't look like Saint Nicholas, who lived in the 6th century, five centuries before the Turks arrive in Anatolia..."

"NOEL BABA MÜZESI"

"CHURCH - By the 10th century Nicholas had become the most popular folk saint in the Byzantine realm, counting as the patron of children, poor virgins, innocent prisoners, sailors and Russians. His tomb in Myra became the object of pilgrimages. A church was built around it in the 6th century. After it was destroyed in an Arab raid, the church was rebuilt in 1043 to take its present form with the help of Constantine IX"

"TOURISTS - The Church of St. Nicholas fell into disuse in Turkish times. In 1862 Tsar Alexander I bought the edifice and began restoring it. Further restorations were carried out in recent years by the Turkish government, which also promoted the annual festivities which take place on the saint's feast day. Thousands of pilgrims from Italy, Greece and other countries come to Myra each year on December"

"CEILING -Jesus and St. Nicholas"

"EMPTY TOMB - The fame of St. Nicholas was brought to the west by Byzantine princess Theophanous, who married Otto II to seal a treaty between the Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. In 1087, some Italian merchants broke into the tomb, removed the bones and furtively translated them to Bari, reason why he is also known as Nicholas of Bari. Some other bones however were found in Myra and transferred to the Antalya Museum. Saint Nicholas is revered among Catholic and Orthodox Christians and is also honoured by various Anglican and Lutheran churches"

"MYRA TOMBS - Myra has some of the most impressive and well preserved Lycian monuments, including an excellent collection of rock tombs. Many of the tombs have log cabin features carved into the rock, presumably reflecting the domestic architecture of the period. A few ones have inscriptions in the Lycian language"

"AMPHITHEATRE - The imposing 2nd century theatre was later converted into an arena for gladiator fights and wild animal shows. Many carvings and inscriptions in the theatre are still visible, and tunnels and side access ways have been cleared. While much of the seating is intact, the stage building is partly collapsed"

"MASKS - A set of three carved masks, presumably from the frieze, lies among the remains in the approach to the theatre"

"COASTAL ROAD - Way back"

"TAURUS SUNSET"

COTTON CASTLE

2009-10-19T08:45:00.001+01:00

PAMUKKALE - SEPTEMBER 2008

The Hierapolis/Pamukkale site has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The description is the following: «Deriving from springs in a cliff almost 200 m high overlooking the plain, calcite-laden waters have created at Pamukkale (Cotton Palace) an unreal landscape, made up of mineral forests, petrified waterfalls and a series of terraced basins. At the end of the 2nd century B.C. the dynasty of the Attalids, the kings of Pergamon, established the thermal spa of Hierapolis. The ruins of the baths, temples and other Greek monuments can be seen at the site.» Pamukkale, a spa since the Romans, is Turkey's foremost mineral-bath spa.

"PAMUKKALE TOWN - Numerous hotels, (some with their own warm mineral water pools), restaurants, shops and ticket offices..."

"TOURIST LINE - The «castle», about 2,700m long and 160m high, can be seen from the hills on the opposite side of the valley in the town of Denizli, 20 km away"

"DRY TERRACES - It seems that tourist pressure has some responsibility on the way terraces are changing in the Pamukkale area"

"TRAVERTINE - Pamukkale's terraces are made of travertine, a terrestrial sedimentary rock, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from geothermal hot-springs. They are similar to Mammoth Hot Springs

"NO SHOES - It is estimated that 43,191 grams of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) are deposited daily in the Pamukkale site"

"COTTON WALL"

"CONTRASTS - - The water flows down the hill at 35º degrees Celsius

"POOL"

"SLIPPERY"

"LAST SECTION"

"TURQUOISE"

"LAST POOL"

"DOWN THE HILL"

"GREAT WALL"

"REFLECTIONS"

"SAFE AND SOUND - With shoes!"

Pietro created a wonderful award and was kind enough to allow me to use it. I'm thrilled. Thanks Pietro!!

YELLOW AROUND THE CORNER

2009-10-10T19:57:00.003+01:00

HIERAPOLIS, TURKEY - SEPTEMBER 2008

Hierapolis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was an ancient city on top of the Pamukkale hot springs, located in the south western part of the Turkish Anatolian Peninsula, near Denizli.

"SUNRISE - Sometimes one needs to wake up early, and that means a chance to catch a great sunrise picture!"

"TAURUS - Early morning the Taurus Mountains seem to be on fire"

"KORKUTELI - A bus trip from Antalya's Palmiye to Hierapolis/Pammukale takes some four hours to cover the 260km, with a technical stop. On the way we crossed Korkuteli, a place where it seems that Antalya's middle-classes are building holiday homes to escape the summer heat on the coast. Not easy to find the beauty of such place..."

"ARID MOUNTAINS - Some noticed that my previous posts were either too green or too blue, compared to the arid zones they've seen in Turkey. This post will show that we've also seen the arid side of the country!"

"DENIZLI, a city of some 300,000 people, has a name that means «with the sea». However, that is exactly what you won't see here. Sometimes, however, there is some green around..."

"HIERAPOLIS was founded as a thermal spa early in the second century BC and given by the Romans to Eumenes II, King of Pergamon in 190 BC"

"PORTAL"

"RUINS - Hierapolis' main street, about 1500 m long, 13.5 m wide and bordered on both sides by an arcade, ran from north to south"

"BURNING - We visited Hierapolis around 1.30p.m. The temperature should be just below forty degrees centigrade, and the tourists were definitely burning in the sun..."

"DOMITIAN GATE - Close to the northern city gate, we may see a triumphal arch, flanked by circular towers, with three arches; the gate built by proconsul Frontinius"

"THEATRE - After an earthquake and during the reign of Emperor Vespasianus a new theatre was built, using the remains and the seats of an old one. The auditorium could seat 15,000 and is divided in two by a horizontal corridor. The lower part originally had twenty rows, and the upper part twenty five rows, but only thirty rows altogether have survived. The auditorium is segmented into nine aisles"

"STAGE - The proscenium consisted of two stories with ornately decorated niches off to the sides"

"SOLITARY"

"BACKSTAGE"

"ANTIQUE POOL - Hierapolis was known as a health centre, in particular during Roman times"

"WAY BACK, with cows"

"MORE ARID MOUNTAINS"

"MOON - Started with sunrise, finished with the moon rising in the horizon"

Babli was so kind to pass me this lovely award. Thanks Babli!!

TAURUS, ANTALYA'S PORT & THE REST

2009-10-04T23:38:00.001+01:00

ANTALYA - SEPTEMBER 2008

"GOYNUK - On our way from the Palmiye to Antalya we passed Goynuk, famous to trekkers for its gorge. Never saw a city gate like this... And the Taurus behind!"

"TAURUS MOUNTAINS - As seen from a restaurant on the left side of Antalya's port"

"ARCH"

"HIDIRLIK TOWER - Believed to be built in Hellenistic era, the tower is located at the site where the land walls of the city join the sea walls. The 14m high structure consists of a circular tower rising on a pedestal"

"WAY DOWN to the port"

"HOUSE ON THE WALL"

"ANTALYA'S PORT"

"ANTALYA CITY & WATERFALL"

"GARDEN"

"SMALL BEACH"

"DOWNTOWN"

"MURAT PASHA MOSQUE - It was commissioned by Grand Vizier Murad Pasha in 1570"

"ATATURK & THE MINARETS - The Yivli Minare Mosque is one of the first Islamic buildings in the city. Its fluted minaret is a symbol of the city"

"MOSQUE"

"DRIVING SCHOOL"

KALEIÇI, OLD ANTALYA

2009-09-28T00:33:00.001+01:00

ANTALYA - SEPTEMBER 2008

It is said that the site of the current city of Antalya was first inhabited when Attalos II, King of Pergamon, founded Attalia there, around 150 BC. However, recent excavations have uncovered remains from the 3rd century BC, suggesting that the site was already occupied earlier. King Attalos III of Pergamum willed his kingdom to Rome at his death and the city prospered during the Roman period.

"HADRIAN'S GATE - The three arched triumphal gate was built to honour the Roman Emperor, who visited Antalya in 130 A.D. It is considered the most beautiful Gate in the region (Pamphylia). It seems that the original Gate had two storeys but there is no information on the top one"

"DECORATION - Entirely built of white marble, the Gate has a remarkable ornamentation"

"HALIHAN - Carpets in the old town"

"PASHA HOUSES"

"TOURISTS - Streets from the Ottoman era"

"KESIK MINARE (Broken Minaret) - Originally built as a Roman temple in the 2nd century AD, it was converted into a Byzantine church in honour of Virgin Mary, in the 600s. Heavily damaged in the 700s during the Arab invasions, it was repaired again in the 900s. Converted into a mosque, it saw the addition of the minaret. However, in 1361, it became a church again, only to be reconverted into a mosque some time later. It was finally destroyed in a fire in 1846, but the minaret survived, as the Kesik Minare"

"OLDEST HOUSES in Old Town"

"COCA COLA, CAMEL MARKET"

"KILIMS"

"FLOWER HOUSE"

"MEDITERRA ART HOTEL"

"HOUSES, HOTELS & STREETS OF KALEIÇI"

"TURKISH BATHS"

"CLOCK TOWER - From the Roman times"

FUN IN TURKEY

2009-09-20T01:14:00.001+01:00

TURKISH RIVIERA - SEPTEMBER 2008

"BEACH - Early morning, the water temperature was already around 30º centigrade, while outside the sun wasn't yet burning; so the swimming was perfect!"

"POOL - For the lovers of pools, there were two; can't express my opinion,because I didn't use them. With such a lovely se just thirty metres away..."

"PARAGLIDING - Then you have the sports available; for the extreme, the paragliding..."

"TENNIS"

"FOOTBALL AND ARCHERY"

"DRINKING - At the bar..."

"SAILING"

"CIRCUS - You may even improve your aptitudes at the Circus grounds"

"DESERTED BEACH - By the end of the day, the beach is almost only for you"

"DINNER TIME at the Topkapi Restaurant"

"09.09.2008 - SPECIAL DINNER: Moet and a Cake!"

"SHOW TIME - Chinese performance"

"DISHES"

"CHAIRS"

"TURKISH SHOW - DERVISH"

"CHAMPAGNE - Sometimes, there was a late night party, with champagne..."

"FULL MOON - You have to take the right week..."

BLUE BY THE MOUNTAINS

2009-09-13T20:18:00.002+01:00

ON THE BEACH - TURKEY - SEPTEMBER 2008

"SUN & SEA"

"THE BEACH - At the Antalya Palmiye"

"PINES BY THE SEA"

"KEMER at the distance"

"CAPE"

"SAILS"

"WAY TO THE SEA - The «sand» can't be compared to the Algarve..."

"MELISA 4"

"THE EASY WAY... into the water!"

"SWIMING"

"ENJOYING"

"KEMER CAPE - This one and the next five pictures are to be seen as a travelling from west to east, which means from the cape near Kemer to the east of the Palmiye Beach"

"BEACH - West side"

"HOTEL, TAURUS & BEACH"

"BEACH - East side"

"SAILING"

GREEN BY THE SEA

2009-09-09T00:09:00.001+01:00

ANTALYA PALMIYE - TURKEY - SEPTEMBER 2009

In 2008 we decided to spend my yearly vacation week in the Turkish Riviera. It was a nice choice and the posts will show why. This first one shows the environment where we lodge at the Antalya Palmiye!

"PALMIYE - There are lots of Palm trees around, but these are fancy ones..."

"THE BEACH is quite close to the lawn..."

"AND TO THE PALMS..."

"TWISTING..."

"WATER CANAL"

"LAWNS, HOUSES AND TREES"

"WALKWAYS"

"TAURUS MOUNTAINS and palm trees. The Taurus mountain complex in southern Turkey gives birth to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers!"

"TAURUS and orange trees - It also divides the Mediterranean coastal region of southern Turkey from the central Anatolian Plateau».

"TAURUS MOUNTAINS - In this area, the peaks reach around two thousand four hundred metres and more"

"TAURUS and pine trees"

"BACK TO GREEN"

"CHERRY ON TOP..."

2008 LONDON STOPOVER

2009-08-24T08:52:00.003+01:00

SHOPPING, LEARNING AND DINING - SEPTEMBER 2008

I've been one hundred and thirty eight times in London. Most of them were just to get a connection flight; many implied a change of airport; and some allowed a short visit to town, shopping or grabbing some lunch between flights... But in forty one of those visits, I spend at least one night, sometimes two, three or four at a hotel. And in some selected visits, I even spend a week or more in London or in the United Kingdom. In September 2008 we had just a short one night stop on our way to some summer vacation!

"LE MERIDIEN PICADILLY - A great location!"

"AQUASCUTUM - Need a raincoat?"

"CARNABY STREET - Quite famous in the sixties..."

"BANANA REPUBLIC - Casual smart..."

"OXFORD STREET -In the Saturday morning the buses were still running"

"OXFORD STREET - In the afternoon it was a pedestrian zone..."

"EROS"

"SOUTH BANK - Some new buildings""

"TATE MODERN - One of my favourite Galleries"

"MILLENNIUM BRIDGE"

"VIEW FROM THE TATE"

"NATWEST & THE GHERKIN"

"TATE FIFTH FLOOR"

"CHINATOWN"

"MAISON TOUAREGUE - Couscous, tagine..."

"THREE GREYHOUNDS"

"STREET JAZZ - Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club was fully booked..."

A LAST STROLL, BLUE LAGOON & AWAY

2009-08-16T00:06:00.001+01:00

ICELAND - AUGUST 2008

"MOVIE STARS in Reykjavik's main shopping street"

"ICELANDIC DESIGN"

"SCULPTURE"

"PERLAN - The Pearl, built in 1988 and open to the public in 1991, is a unique building, with six huge tanks storing natural hot water for heating the city. On the top of it, we have a dome with our known revolving restaurant and a viewing platform with panoramic 360 degree views of the city and its surroundings"

"INSIDE GEYSER - Below the dome, between the hot-water tanks, is a small artificial geyser. This picture is dedicated to Louise, who used to get up there when in Iceland..."

"HALLGRIMSKIRKJA"

"REYKJAVIK & MOUNT ESJA"

DOME REFLECTION"

"SUNNY FJORD"

"BLUE FLAG AT BLUE LAGOON - Beach?"

"OUTSIDE"

"INSIDE - Blue Lagoon is a Geothermal Spa, located close to Keflavik Airport. The 40º Celsius waters are rich in minerals and bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help many people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis"

"BATH TIME"

"BLUE LAGOON is a by-product of the nearby Svartsengi power plant"

"ROCK RESTAURANT inside the complex"

"SCULPTURE - Outside Keflavik Airport"

"ENLIGHTED COD FISH...."

"MORE SCULPTURES"

"TAKE-OFF as landing: grey and rainy..."

"SHETLAND ISLANDS IN THE BLUE!"

RURAL ICELAND

2009-08-11T09:28:00.002+01:00

ICELAND - AUGUST 2008

Iceland is famous for its Sagas. The Icelandic Sagas, some quasi-historical texts, were mostly written anonymously between the 12th and 13th centuries. Some of them recount the discovery and first populators of Iceland, at a time when the people were Pagans, worshipping the old Norse Gods: Odin, Thor, and Frigga.

"SAGA MUSEUM"

"JON ARASON - Late in the 10th century, Christianity began to spread into Norway, and soon reached Iceland, which converted to Christianity in the early parts of the 11th century. In 1550, Jon Arason, then bishop of Hólar, was captured after some disputes with Lutheranism and beheaded. He was the last Roman Catholic bishop in Iceland"

"THINGVELLIR, ALTHING - During the time of the Sagas, the main feature of the political system in Iceland was the annual assembly called the Althing, being held during two weeks in the month of June. Estate holders had the power to decide judicial and legislative issues at the event, though their ruling power depended on the voluntary adherence of their supporters, the free farmers. This is the place where the original Parliament or Althing was established in 930 and where it remained until 1789"

"BOOK OF LAWS - In the winter of 1117-18 someone set to work in a farmhouse in northern Iceland and wrote out the whole code. Five winters later, the laws of the church got written down, too. The Book of Law had a primacy in Iceland that had few parallels in Europe until the Code Napoleon was drawn up in France at the beginning of the 19th century. Not only was it the book by which everyone lived, but it was also the book with which everyone learned to read"

"THINGVELLIR is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site is on a power spot, along the Mid Atlantic Ridge separating the North American and European Continental plates"

***

"HEKLA, at 1,491 metres, is Iceland's most active volcano; over 20 eruptions have occurred in and around the volcano since 874"

"YELTSIN? - On a tour in Iceland we made a stop at the Greenhouse Hveragerdi. I wonder what was this one doing there..."

***

"VIK I MYRDAL, the wettest place in Iceland, is also its southernmost village, located 180 km of Reykjavík. Despite having only 300 inhabitants, it is the largest settlement for some 70 km around"

"REYNISDRANGAR - These three rocks, the tallest standing at 66m, are the subject of another Icelandic story. They were formed when two trolls dragged a three mast ship to the shore. However, as trolls do not survive in daylight, when the sun rose, the trolls and the ship turned to stone. The ship's masts are the only parts visible above the water. They are named Landdrangur, Háidrangur and Langsamur"

"GERMAN MEMORIAL - It commemorates a German fishing boat that was wrecked off the beach and was erected by the fishing company to thank the Icelanders who had risked their lives to save crew members"

"VIK"

"CHURCH IN VIK"

***

"SKOGASAFN - The Skogar Museum, one of the best folk museums in Iceland, has a collection of over 6000 artefacts and examples of various types of dwellings in Iceland since the early times"

"DWELLINGS - The museum also has an old turf farmhouse, where guests can experience the standards of living in Iceland in past centuries"

"RICH HOUSE"

"CODFISH - The collection of tools and equipment used at land and sea is outstanding, but the dried codfish is amazing. It shouldn't be forgotten than the Portuguese had in the past one of the most important fleet of cod fishing ships and are probably the largest consumers of dried cod in the world..."

"SCULPTURE"

***

"WHO'S THIS?"

My Canadian Blogger friend of Baron's Life was so kind to pass this award to me. Thanks Baron!

ICELANDIC COLOURS

2009-08-06T23:00:00.001+01:00

REYKJAVIK - AUGUST 2008

After a stroll showing offices and public buildings, most of them white or grey, it's time to put some colour on these Icelandic posts!

"SNOW CAPED ROOF WITH BLUE - Artistic"

"GREY - It's a sculpture in front..."

"DUTY-FREE"

"BAR AT FRAKKASTIGUR"

"BLUE"

"WHITE"

"WHITE AND RED"

"IT HAD TO BE YELLOW"

"RED"

"ICELAND'S FLAG COLOURS"

"LOBSTER HOUSE"

"IDNO - Restaurant and theatre, it was built in 1897 and reconstructed in its original form in 1997. Beside the City Pond, directly opposite the City Hall, the Idno is one of the city’s most historic buildings"

"HOTEL REYKJAVIK CENTRUM, FJALAKÖTTURINN RESTAURANT"

"FRIDA THOMAS DESIGN"

"EINAR BEN RESTAURANT"

"AUSFUSTRAETI"

"VIKING HOUSE"

"LANDSBANKI - Before going bankrupt... On October 7, 2008 the Icelandic Financial Supervisory Authority took control of Landsbanki. On October 8, 2008, UK Treasury froze the assets of Landsbanki in the UK. On October 9, 2008 the Icelandic branch was split off into the "Nýi Landsbanki" and on October 27, 2008 the inability to render payment of deposits was declared for the remaining parts of Landsbanki. Sad story..."

"REYKJAVIK JAZZ FESTIVAL - K TRIO: Kristjan Martinsson, piano, Petur Sigurdsson, bass, Magnus Eliassen, drums. At the old Idno theatre. I later found this text in the Net: «K Trio was started up by pianist Kristjan Martinsson in January 2008 to perform his compositions in Kristjans's final recital at Icelandic Musicians Union (FIH) School of Music. [...] They took part in Reykjavik Jazz Festival in August of the same year holding a concert in Idno. In September K Trio represented Iceland in The Young Nordic Jazz Comets in Copenhagen. They won the competition and as a result are working on an album (out in January 2009)» Happy story!!"

Mitr-Friend was so kind to pass me the award she received! It's the second time I get this one!! Thanks Friend!!!

STROLLING IN REYKJAVIK

2009-07-31T17:54:00.001+01:00

REYKJAVIK - AUGUST 2008

Reykjavík, founded in 1786 as an official trading town, is said to be the site of the first permanent settlement in Iceland, established around 870. With no urban development until the 18th century, the city grew in the 19th century to become a centre of commerce and governmental activities.

In 1845, the Althing, the general assembly formed in 930, was re-established in Reykjavík, and this meant the establishment of the city as the capital of Iceland. In 1874 Iceland was given a constitution, and in 1904 the office of Minister for Iceland was established in Reykjavík, thus moving most of the executive power to Iceland. Finally, on December 1, 1918, Iceland became a sovereign country under the Crown of Denmark, the Kingdom of Iceland.

Those who were already around by that time, probably heard from Reykjavik for the first time in the news when, in 1972, Reykjavík hosted the World Chess Championship between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky!

"OLD TOWN PLAZA - Just in front of the Tourist Office"

"HOTEL BORG - In the Main Plaza of the Old Town"

"DOMKIRKJAN, completed in 1796, is a small Lutheran church of historical importance. A place of worship having existed on this site since 1200, it was here that independence was first blessed, and where Iceland's national anthem was first sung in 1874. Since 1845, members of every Althing parliament have gathered here for a service before the annual session"

"THE PARLIAMENT HOUSE - A classical nineteen century building, hosts the Althing, Iceland's Parliament"

"ON THE WAY - To the City Airport, built in town by the British during WWII"

"TJÖRNIN - The Pond is a small lake in the city centre"

"CITY HALL - Built in 1987 by architects Margrét Hardardóttir and Steve Christer, it houses the offices of the mayor of Reykjavík, a café, an auditorium and a 3D map of Iceland"

"FRIKIRKJA - The Free Lutheran Church in Reykjavik. On the top of the Hill, the Halgrimmskirkja was under renovation"

"HOUSES IN LAEKJARGATA STREET"

"THJODMENNINGARHUS - Site of the National Library of Iceland from 1908 to 1994"

"STJORNARRADID, the seat of the executive branch of Iceland's government"

"ICELANDC OPERA - The IO was first founded in 1978 and definitely established on October 3rd, 1980"

"LEIFUR EIRIKSSON (c.970 – c.1020) was a Norse explorer, probably the first European to land in North America. According to the Sagas, he established a settlement at Vinland (possibly L'Anse aux Meadows Norse on the northern tip of the island of honour the 1930 Althing Millennial Festival, commemorating the 1000th anniversary of Iceland's parliament at Thingvellir in 930"

"EINAR JONSSON MUSEUM - Einar (1874-1954) was Iceland's first sculptor. In 1909, he offered all of his works to the Icelandic people on the condition that a museum be built to house them. The offer, however, was accepted by the Parliament only in 1914, and thus the Museum was only officially opened in 1923, on Midsummer's Day"

"HALGRIMSKIRKJA - The church of Hallgrimur, at 74.5 m, is an amazing building that took 38 years to be built. Unfortunately, it was under renovation..."

"ORGAN - Built by Johannes Klais of Bonn, it is 15 metres tall and weighs 25 tons"

"NATIONAL MUSEUM - It hosts a very interesting collection"

"MODERN BUILDING"

"REYKJAVIK UNIVERSITY - The largest private University in Iceland"

WATER IN ICELAND

2009-07-27T08:51:00.002+01:00

ICELAND - AUGUST 2008

Though it seems there is a huge glacier regression in Iceland, water is not missing at all there.

"GREY LANDSCAPE - Early morning rain was a company to most of our tours..."

"SKOGAFOSS - With a width of 25 meters and a drop of 60 meters, the Forest Falls, located at the cliffs of the former coastline (now at a distance of 5km), is one of the biggest and most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland"

"SELJALANDFOSS - It also falls 60m at the former coastline"

"FROM THE TRAIL BEHIND THE FALL"

"THE SUN WAS SHINNING"

"GULFOSS - The Golden Falls is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country, and together with Pingvellir and the geysers of Haukadalur forms the Golden Circle"

"GULFOSS - At a certain point, it seems that the river simply fades away into the earth"

"FROM THE TOP"

"JUST CLOSE"

Addy of the lovely blog «Oh Addy», was so kind to give me this wonderful, award! Thanks Addy. Truly apreciated!!

LAND OF ICE AND FIRE

2009-07-11T23:40:00.000+01:00

ICELAND - AUGUST 2008

Iceland is known as the Land of Ice and Fire due to the Glaciers and the Volcanoes. According to Wikipedia, Iceland «has about 130 volcanic mountains, of which 18 have erupted since the settlement of Iceland. Over the past 500 years, Iceland's volcanoes have erupted a third of the total global lava output». This post is dedicated to the Solheimajokull Glacier and to the Strokkur Geyser.

***

GLACIER

"GLACIER"

"SOLHEIMAJOKULL"

"BLUE SKY"

"GLOBAL WARMING"

"EATABLE ICE"

"DIFFICULT WALK"

"SOLHEIMAJOKULL - It seems that the glacier had retreated an average of more than 50m yearly in the last times"

***

GEYSER

"WAITING"

"LITTLE GEYSIR"

"100º BOILING WATER"

"BLESI HOT SPRING"

"STROKKUR is a geyser in the geothermic region beside the Hvítá River in the southwest part of Iceland, east of Reykjavik"

"AT MAXIMUM HEIGHT - A bit like the Old Faithful in the Yellowstone Park"

"CENTRAL HEATING"

GREEN ICELAND

2009-07-06T23:39:00.002+01:00

ICELAND - AUGUST 2008

Iceland, world's 18th largest island, and Europe's second largest island after Great Britain, is known as the Land of Ice and Fire, due to its glaciers and volcanoes. We'll start however with the green side of it. With all that rain, it's not such a wonder!!

"FROM THE BUS"

"GLACIAL RIVER"

"GLACIAL VALLEYS"

"SOUTH COAST"

"GLACIAR ON THE TOP OT THE HILL"

"PLANTATION"

"TOWARDS THE SEA"

"GREEN TONES"

"LAND HORIZON"

"NEAR SKÓGAR"

"COWS"

"TURF HOUSES - Home to most of Icelanders until late in the 20th century"

"RAINBOW"

"CLIFF"

"LAVA AND MOSS"

"RED HOUSE"

"BLUE CHURCH"

"ALTHING - The Alþingi, the national parliament, was founded in 930 at Þingvellir, (the «assembly fields»), some 45 km east of Reykjavík. That's the place!"

"HOUSES"

"GOLF"

"PAINTING - No, just a picture taken from a running bus. No Photoshop additions..."

FIREWORKS FESTIVAL

2009-06-29T19:42:00.006+01:00

REYKJAVIK - AUGUST 2008

After the Marathon, the concerts, the performances and fashion shows and before the traditional runtur - pub crawl -, the Menningarnótt (Reykjavik's Cultural Night) offers a display of fireworks for your delight. I've always loved fireworks, probably because I was born on the site of the best New Year's fireworks in the World - Madeira Island! So, even without a tripod, I couldn't resist making a post of the pictures I caught on August 23, 2008. As there is almost nothing to tell, you'll get roughly only the pictures!!

"RADISSON HOTEL 1919"

"FIREWORK BOATS & MOON"

"LIGHTS"

"WAITING FOR THE DISPLAY"

"STARTED"

"STARS"

"OUT OF ANGLE"

"MID-SHOW"

"FIRE"

"FULL SKY FINALE"

"THAT'S THE END"

"RUNTUR - After the fireworks, restaurants and pubs stay open until late. It's time for the traditional Runtur (pub crawl). Most locals however tend to counter the expensive bar prices either by consuming a lot of alcohol at home before going out or by cruising around in their cars for hours without getting into the bars... These, mainly on Laugavegur Street and on the roads leading to it, tend to have a Jekyll and Hyde character: beer and coffee throughout the day, buzzing drinking and dancing in the evening"

SUMMER IN REYKJAVIK

2009-06-25T00:06:00.001+01:00

REYKJAVIK - AUGUST 2008

Reykjavík, at 64°08' latitude north, is the world's most northern national capital. Located in south-western Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay, it has a population of around 120,000 residents and receives around 100,000 visitors for the Reykjavik Cultural Night. No wonder the town was quite busy on August 23rd, 2008. But neither Björk nor Gudjohnsen were there...

"RADISSON 1919 - The Suite 406 was nice, had a Nespresso machine and a decent view. It looked much cosier after the down pouring we caught to get to the hotel from across the closed to the traffic street (due to the marathon restrictions)..."

"ICELANDIC TROLL - I wonder who destroyed part of the sword"

"WALL COVER"

"LAUGAVEGUR - Notwithstanding the rain, the main shopping street was quite busy"

"TOURIST OFFICE - There was an Exchange Office where you could get some one hundred kroner per one euro; less than two months later, the rate of exchange reached more than three hundred kroner per each euro..."

"NO SATURDAY WITHOUT SUN"

"CARUSO RESTAURANT"

"KAFFIBARINN"

"INTERCULTURAL CENTRE"

"OLD HOUSE, WHITE"

"SUN CRAFT - The Sun Voyager, a.k.a. the Viking ship, is a sculpture by Jon Gunnar Arnason, an Icelandic artist born in 1931 and deceased in 1989"

"BAR - Another one..."

"CHRISTIAN IX - Europe's Father-In-Law, as his six children married into other royal houses"

"THE OLDEST HOUSE IN REYKJAVIK is a restaurant"

"THE PEARL RESTAURANT - At the top of the Perlan building, a landmark in Reykjavik, there is a revolving restaurant. The view is nice, but the prices were suffering from an inflated Icelandic krone: one hundred and eighty euro for two, without any special wine..."

"HALLGRIMSKIRKJA - At sunset, in the rain"

VELKOMIN TO ICELAND

2009-06-19T09:33:00.003+01:00

REYKJAVIK - AUGUST 2008

We landed in Iceland just before the start of the financial crisis and the country going bankrupt. This meant that the prices were still outrageously high (similar to what happened to me in Argentina, December 2001) and that everybody thought they were rich with all those toxic products in their bank accounts. Some weeks later, they dramatically discovered how wrong they were. But I had already paid my trip...

The day we arrived was the date of Reykjavik's - Iceland's capital city - most popular annual event: Reykjavik Cultural Night. It actually consists of two events: the Reykjavik Marathon, which takes place in the morning, and the long Culture Night, which starts early afternoon and runs deeply into the night. They take place on the same Saturday, on the third weekend in August, and that brings great excitement to the city. It's said that roughly 100,000 people come to Reykjavik that night; for an island country with circa 320,000 inhabitants that's something...

"RAIN - August, in the Northern Hemisphere, usually means summer and hot weather. That isn't (or wasn't) entirely true in Iceland, when we got to Keflavik Airport..."

"VIKINGS - The Marathon was already over and the long party was starting its debut..."

***

MUSIC

One of the features of the Cultural Night is that you'll have music around virtually each corner in town. And all sorts of music...

"BALLADS IN THE STREET"

"BAND IN THE VERANDAH"

"ROCK IN THE SHOP"

"JAZZ IN THE BANK"

"CLASSICS IN THE POST OFFICE"

"OPERA IN THE CATHEDRAL"

"FRENCH BALL"

"MUSIC BOX"

***

FOOD

Another peculiar feature of the cultural night is the snack around the corner...

"MONKFISH KEBAB"

***

FASHION

While we were strolling around Laugavegur, the main shopping street of Reykjavik, a show sponsored by «Moods of Norway» was taking place. And the Centrum store was having live fashion shows...

"HAIR CUT"

"DRESSES"

"UNDERWEAR"

"LIVE SHOW - Inside and outside"

"TIES"

***

ARTS

The museums and the galleries were open and there were art installations throughout town...

"GUIDA & GIL also contributed..."

THE REPUBLIC OF UZUPIS

2009-06-15T09:45:00.003+01:00

VILNIUS - JUNE 2008

Užupis, which means "on the other side of a river" (the Vilnia River in the case), is a 0.6 square km district of Vilnius, near the Old Town. The region, often compared with Montmartre in Paris, is quite popular with artists, and houses art galleries, artists' workshops, and popular cafés. In 1997, the district declared itself an independent republic (the Republic of Užupis).

"CONSTITUTION:
Everyone has the right to live by the River Vilnia, while the River Vilnia has the right to flow by everyone.
Everyone has the right to hot water, heating in winter and a tiled roof.
Everyone has the right to die, but it is not an obligation.
Everyone has the right to make mistakes.
Everyone has the right to be unique.
Everyone has the right to love.
Everyone has the right not to be loved, but not necessarily.
Everyone has the right to be undistinguished and unknown.
Everyone has the right to idle.
Everyone has the right to love and take care of the cat.
Everyone has the right to look after a dog untill one of them dies.
A dog has the right to be a dog.
A cat is not obliged to love its owner, but must help in time of need.
Sometimes everyone has the right to be unaware of his duties.
Everyone has the right to be in doubt, but this is not an obligation.
Everyone has the right to be happy.
Everyone has the right to be unhappy.
Everyone has the right to be silent.
Everyone has the right to have faith.
No one has the right to violence.
Everyone has the right to appreciate his unimportance.
Everyone has the right to have a design on eternity.
Everyone has the right to understand.
Everyone has the right to understand nothing.
Everyone has the right to be of any nationality.
Everyone has the right to celebrate or not to celebrate his birthday.
Everyone shall remember his name.
Everyone may share what he possesses.
No-one can share what he does not possess.
Everyone has the right to have brothers, sisters and parents.
Everyone may be independent.
Everyone is responsible for his freedom.
Everyone has the right to cry.
Everyone has the right to be misunderstood.
No-one has the right to make another person guilty.
Everyone has the right to be individual.
Everyone has the right to have no rights.
Everyone has the right not to be afraid.
Do not defeat.
Do not fight back.
Do not surrender"

"ANGEL - On April 4, 2001, a statue of an angel blowing a trumpet was unveiled in the main square of Uzupis to replace the former sculpture of an egg. It seems it was intended to symbolize the revival of and the artistic freedom of Uzupis"

"STREET ART"

"INDUSTRIAL AREA - On one of the sides of Uzupis, there is an industrial area built under the Soviet rule, including this former church..."

"ST. BARTHOLOMEW CHURCH"

"PORTUGALIJOS - What is Portugal doing there?"

"PATIO - After WWII, the houses left empty by the Holocaust were occupied by marginal elements of society. Nowadays, artists and bohemians are the most important part of the residents"

"UZUPIS STREET"

"UZUPIO CAFE"

"MERMAID"

"ART GALLERY"

"VILNIA RIVER"

"TOURIST COUPLE"

BARBECUE LUNCH

2009-06-12T09:41:00.001+01:00

TRAKAI -JUNE 2008

Trakai has several nice restaurants by different lakes that surround the small town. So after the Castle and the boat, it's time for food...

"WOODEN SCULPTURE - Everywhere you go, there will be some wooden sculptures waiting for you..."

"THE RESTAURANT where we had lunch had a wonderful location"

"GREEN - Even the shirt (Penina Golf Club) was green..."

"THERE WAS FOOD (lots of food...)"

"A BAND"

"DANCERS"

"A WALKWAY TO THE PLATFORM"

"A PLATFORM BY THE LAKE"

"WITH NICE VIEWS"

"ENJOYING THE SUN"

"A BEAUTIFUL LAKE"

"A NICE COTTAGE"

"LOTS OF GREEN"

"A ROWER (Curious)"

"AND A FAREWELL CAKE"

M. Kate from the beautiful blog La Vie est Belle was so kind to pass me this lovely award. Thanks Melialissa! Truly appreciated!

LAKE GALVE

2009-06-08T10:12:00.001+01:00

TRAKAI - JUNE 2008

There are 200 lakes in the Trakai region. The deepest (46.7 m) and most visited is the Galvė covering an area of 3.88 km² and including 21 islands. After the visit to the Trakai Island Castle, we had a tour of the Lake before lunch.

"TOURIST COUPLE"

"LAKE GALVE"

"HOUSES"

"RESTAURANT"

"ISLAND CASTLE"

"SHORELINE"

"ENJOYING"

"TYSZKIEWICZ PALACE"

"SAILING"

"STUDENT'S PARTY"

"BEER BOAT"

"PRE-LUNCH"

Rajesh of My India Travel was so kind to pass me this lovely award. I'm truly thankful!

TRAKAI ISLAND CASTLE

2009-06-03T08:53:00.001+01:00

TRAKAI - JUNE 2008

Trakai, 28 km west of Vilnius and with a little bit more than five thousand inhabitants, is a historic city and a popular tourist resort by the lakes. A true melting pot, it has been home to people of different nationalities since the fourteenth century: Lithuanians, Poles, Russians, Karaims, Tatars, Jews...

"TRAKAI ISLAND CASTLE - On the shores of Lake Galvė, the «Little Marienburg» was started in the 14th century by Kęstutis, and completed by his son Vytautas the Great, who died in this castle in 1430. Only the lower parts of the walls, built with grey limestone, are historical, as the rest is the result of a major reconstruction project started in 1946 and finished in 1961"

"DUCAL PALACE with its 35m high donjon"

"CASTLE INNER YARD"

"A VIEW TO THE LAKE"

"PALACE INNER YARD - With wooden structures"

"BATTLE OF GRUNWALD - Jan Matejko's oil painting showing Vytautas, the Great, in command"

"VYTAUTAS, THE GREAT - Ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1401 through 1430, he died in the Palace on October 27, 1430"

"COINS"

"TREASURY"

"KARAIM is a Russian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, and Polish name for the community of ethnic Turkic adherents of Karaite Judaism in Eastern Europe. Originally from Crimea, Karaims were established in Lithuania and elsewhere in Europe from late medieval times"

"BLUE"

"RED"

"GREEN"

"MUSEUM VISITORS"

"WAY OUT"

LITHUANIA'S OLD CAPITAL

2009-05-28T10:12:00.001+01:00

KAUNAS - JUNE 2008

Kaunas, located at the confluence of the two largest Lithuanian rivers, the Nemunas and the Neris, is the second largest city in the country and was between WWI and WWII the temporarary capital of Lithuania.

"KAUNAS CASTLE, a Gothic building at the confluence of the Nemunas and Neris rivers with two rows of protective walls, was first mentioned in 1361, when the Teutonic Knights were preparing to attack it"

"KAUNAS PRIEST SEMINARY, the biggest in Lithuania, serving the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaunas, is part of the Faculty of Theology of the Vytautas Magnus University"

"OLD WOODEN SCULPTURES"

"FOUNTAIN - It probably has something to do with Napoleon, who traversed this land, but the reference was lost..."

"STATE DRAMA THEATRE - Started in 1920, it is the biggest in Kaunas, and one of the oldest in Lithuania"

"TELEFONAS & BMW"

"THE WHITE SWAN - The Town Hall’s construction began in 1542 with Gothic, Baroque and early Classicism elements. In the Medieval times, the Town Hall and the main market place were the centre of Kaunas. After its latest reconstruction in 1970, it became the Wedding Palace with the Ceramics Museum in its basement"

"ST. FRANCIS XAVIER - Constructed in late Baroque style in the early 18th century, it was given to the Franciscan Monks in 1787, to be later used as an Orthodox Church, as A. Nevsky's Cathedral and as a technical college. In 1990, it was returned to the Jesuits"

"CATHEDRAL - The first Gothic church here was first mentioned in writing sources in 1413. The construction of the largest Gothic church in Lithuania 84m long by 34m wide - was concluded in 1624 and its present-day form comes from the 1800 renovation"

"GERMAN MERCHANT HOUSES - From the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries"

"VYTAUTAS CHURCH (The Church of taking Holy Virgin Mary into Heaven) - One of the first Gothic brick churches in Kaunas, it was built in the 15th century and belonged to Franciscan monks. During the Napoleonic Wars it was used as an ammunition warehouse..."

"HOUSE OF PERKUNAS - One of the most original examples of flamboyant Gothic architecture in Lithuania, the building was constructed in the late 15th century for Hansa merchants. In the 19th century, a statue of Perkunas (Thunder/Zeus) was found, leading to the assumption that a pagan sanctuary existed in the site. It was home to the first Drama Theatre of Kaunas in 1844 and belongs presently to the Jesuits"

"MUSEUM - The Mikailojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis National Art Museum hosts most of the paintings of the painter and composer, perhaps the most famous Lithuanian artist of all time, whose name was used to name the asteroid 2420 Ciurlionis. The museum is also home to Ciurlionis' memorabilia, Lithuanian folk art, 17th-20th century fine and applied art, Ancient Egypt art, numismatics..."

"DEVIL MUSEUM - The museum, a well-kept secret, hosts a collection of sculptures and carvings of more than 2000 devils from Lithuania and the whole world. When the museum opened in 1966, it housed 260 statues, property of the artist Antanas Zmuidzinavicius (1876-1966), who was obsessed by the number 13, also known as the devil's dozen"

"LAISVÈS AVENUE - Built in the 19th century and running in the East-West direction, the 1.7 km long Liberty Avenue connects the old and new parts of the city. At its end, the Neo-Byzantine-style St. Michael, the Archangel, Church may be seen"

ARTS IN LITHUANIA

2009-05-21T10:03:00.001+01:00

VILNIUS - JUNE 2008

The National M. K. Ciurlionis School of Art, founded in 1945, is named after the famous Lithuanian painter and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis and is the most important art school in Lithuania. With three different departments, it covers the entire twelve year learning cycle.

"MUSIC DEPARTMENT - Teaches pianoforte, string, wind, percussion and other instruments, choral conducting and music theory. It hosts a junior string orchestra, some of the members appearing on this photo"

"OLD WOODEN SCULPTURES"

"OLD IRON SCULPTURES"

"FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT - It offers courses in painting, graphics, sculpture and design"

"THE BALLET DEPARTMENT is the third one in the school and offers courses in classical, duet and historical dance, ballet and theatre history, as well as other art subjects"

***

The State Song and Dance Ensemble «Lietuva», established in Vilnius in November 1940 and having made its debut on February 22, 1941, is a professional company of dancers, folk instrument orchestra and choir created, in the words of its initial artistic director, composer Jonas Svedas, to upgrade folk instruments, perform «new music in folk style» and stage versions of folk dances. Currently, the ensemble involves 116 persons including singers, dancers, musicians and administrative personnel and, since 2004, its director is the composer Giedrius Svilainis.

"THE ORCHESTRA - The Ensemble upgraded the ancient Lithuanian folk instruments to form a folk instrument orchestra. It includes zither, panpipes, wooden trumpets, pipes, recorders, folk clarinets, a bow made from a pig’s bladder filled with dried peas, cow bells, gongs and other rattles, as well as certain shepherd instruments..."

"SKUDUCIAI - A set of five to eight pipes used to perform instrumental «sutartinès» - an ancient form of two and three voiced polyphony, found in the north-western part of Lithuania"

"SKRABALAI - The instrument, included in the ensemble’s orchestra in 1947, consists of trapezoid wooden bells, which are small trapezoid wooden boxes. The tone of the bell depends on its size. The Ensemble uses skrabalai made of 27 boxes arranged in 7 rows"

"SINGING - In the traditional national costumes"

"DANCERS"

"KLUMPAKOJIS (Clog Dance) - a type of folk dance in which the dancer's footwear is used musically by striking the heel, the toe, or both in unison against a floor or each other to create audible percussive rhythms - is one of «The Merriest Lithuanian Polkas»"

"SVENTINE POLKA (Holiday Polka) - A great way to finish the concert"

A STROLL BACK TO SCHOOL

2009-05-13T07:48:00.001+01:00

VILNIUS - JUNE 2008

Lithuania joined the European Union on May 1, 2004, and, before the current crisis, it had one of the fastest growing economies in the EU.

"NEW CITY CENTRE - With the Europa Tower in the middle - the tallest skyscraper in the Baltic States - and the Hotel Lieutva on the left"

"BUILDING - Frenetic construction on the right bank of the River Neris"

"PLANETARIUM - The only one in the Baltic States, it is part of the University of Vilnius Theoretical Physics and Astronomy Institute"

"ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL - Old building for new concepts"

"BRIDGE STATUES - Old style statues on the bridge crossing the Neris"

"OPERA HOUSE - It seems that 36 years after the opera was born in Florence the first one - «Il Ratto di Helena» - was produced at the Vilnius Lower Castle; we were on September 4, 1636"

"GEDIMINAS PROSPECT - The main street of Vilnius runs from the Zverynas Bridge to the Cathedral Square. Created in 1836 as St George’s Prospect, it was renamed to Mickiewicz Street by the Poles, Lenin’s Prospect, when Lithuania was one of the Republics of USSR, and Gedimino from 1989. The Parliament, the National Library and the central Bank, as well as banks, hotels, shops, restaurants and cafés may be found there"

"PORTUGUESE EMBASSY - And, of course, the Portuguese Embassy may also be found in Gedimino Avenue"

"SMALL STATE THEATRE - Established in the new building in the autumn of 2005, it has «An Open Theatre» as motto. It seems the essence is to speak a language everyone understands..."

"VILNIUS UNIVERSITY - One of the oldest in Northern Europe and the largest in Lithuania. It started when a college, established in 1570 by the Jesuits who came to Lithuania to fight the Reformation, was transformed by the 1579 King Stephen Bathory's charter into the Almae Academia et Universitas Vilnensis Societatis Jesu"

LIBRARY DOOR - The bronze door commemorates the first Lithuanian book"

"LIBRARY - The Library of the University, established in 1570, stores collections of rare publications, the first printed books and maps"

"AULA MAGNA - The main Hall of the University"

"AULA RECTORIS - The Rector's Hall"

"ASTRONOMY was a feature of Vilnius University. As most of the medieval universities, studies probably started with the trivium - logic, grammar and rhetoric - considered preparatory for the more difficult quadrivium - arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy!"

"VIEW - No need of a telescope..."