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Thursday : Lingering look at Windows- week 47

I guess it’s about time to post my last sequence of windows from Barcelona. Life is moving forward at quite a pace. At this rate I’ll soon be looking back at 2013! Anyone for a last wander in those Barcelona streets? Just click on a photo.

Looking up into Barcelona Cathedral

Such an elegant touch on the balcony

The exciting architecture of the Rambla

No such thing as ordinary!

Even in a shopping centre.

The prettiest of port buildings

You know I’m not greedy, but I’d settle for this one!

I can’t leave without one last salute to Gaudi. He gave me so much pleasure with his beautiful houses, Casa Batllo and Casa Mila.

The stairwell at Casa Batllo- a vision in blue

The romance of stained glass

And in Casa Mila, the romance of a curtained window

And in Casa Mila, curtains rustle romantically at the window

Elaborate patterns

Sunset beyond the lace

What could be more nostalgic?

I’m joining Dawn again this week in her Lingering look at Windows. Why not come and play? Soon it will be Christmas windows! Just click on the link.

Edinburgh- city of kilts and bagpipes

The lion and the unicorns grace Edinburgh Castle

The lion and the unicorns gracing Edinburgh Castle

The first sound I heard as I hopped off the coach at the end of Edinburgh’s Princes St. was the wail of bagpipes, leaving me in no doubt at all that I was in Bonny Scotland. Renowned for my lack of sense of direction, no matter how hard I look at a map, I wandered onto North Bridge, gazing around for a landmark. The city rose and fell all around me and, with a little sigh of relief, I spotted the Castle on its lofty mound. Destination one was established! Of course, the direction was up.

Those knees must be cold, mustn’t they?

A wee dram of whisky might help!

In England the skies had been blue, but here they were determinedly grey

No beacons blazing today!

Up we go!

The best views are down the barrel of a gun!

I had timed it nicely to arrive for the one o’clock salute. The press of people was tight as we waited for the cannon to explode. At the same time that the cannon is fired, across the city on Calton Hill a timeball drops on Nelson’s Monument. Visible from afar, its original purpose was to enable the captains of ships on the Firth of Forth to set their chronometers for accurate navigation.

A nice moment occurred as I chatted to a neighbour. A native of the city, he had never before managed to witness the dropping of the timeball. I told him that I hadn’t been sure whether to head for Calton Hill or the Castle itself for the event. Neither had he, but he proceeded to show me that he had successfully recorded it on camera for posterity. I wish I could show you!

But you’ll have to make do with the cannon instead!

The sky was beginning to lighten as I made my way to my next destination- the Scott Monument on Princes St. Not that I knew the way. I followed my nose down some steps and eventually ended up lost in enormous Waverley Railway Station. From there the only way was up again.

I could have been tempted!

Such fun! The sweepers were out on the icerink.

Up I go!

There’s the castle, and the Big Wheel.

The Christmas market was under way down below

It’s getting brighter!

Eye spy!

The wonderfully grand, Balmoral Hotel

That station’s so big, no wonder I couldn’t find my way out!

And there in the background, beautiful Arthur’s Seat

Next I headed for Calton Hill itself, curious to see up close the reason for the city’s nickname “Athens of the North”. Sure enough, there was the incomplete Parthenon! Funds did not allow for completion at the time of building. It matters little now because it is part of a wonderful green space in the city.

Calton cemetery and the observatory

I found it a strangely atmospheric place

A sad spot, with tombs and Felon’s Prison its legacy.

Edinburgh’s volcanic history

And there it is- the incomplete Parthenon!

The views to the waterfront are superb!

Across the Scottish Parliament buildings to Arthur’s Seat.

I imagine you’re starting to tire a bit now. I left the house before 7am to catch my coach, but the knowledge that I had just this one day spurred me on. I won’t keep you much longer.

The day was sparkling as I headed downhill through a different cemetery to the Palace of Holyrood. The queues didn’t allow me time to go in, but I managed a quick swish through the stylish Scottish Parliament building. The sun was beginning to set and the lights to come on as I headed back up the Royal Mile.

Magnificent Arthur’s Seat, viewed from Calton Hill

The Palace of Holyrood

The Unicorn

Just a peep through the gateway

Crossing the pond to the Scottish Parliament building

The shapely seating in the Debating Chamber

Our Dynamic Earth and Arthur’s Seat from the Scottish Parliament windows

Just time to pop my nose in Jenners to see the Christmas tree and marvel at the rides in St. Andrews Place. The kilts were still twirling and the pipes a-calling as I returned, most reluctantly, to the coach.

High riding at the Christmas Market!

Jenners Christmas tree

Six word Saturday

Gone to Edinburgh. NOT Christmas shopping!

I’ve booked a last minute seat on a Christmas shopping coach trip to Edinburgh, just for the day. It’s years since I was in Edinburgh, and never at Christmas, so I’m quite excited to see Princes St. with its fairy lights.

Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh- courtesy of Wikipedia

Doubt I’ll get up as high as Arthur’s Seat, but you never know! I do know it will be COLD though. Leaving at the crack of dawn so I won’t be able to link to Six word Saturday till I get home. See you then!

Thursday : Lingering look at Windows- week 46

Rather in the same way that I left visiting the Sagrada Familia till my last day in Barcelona, I’ve resisted posting about it. I hoped against hope that I wouldn’t find it disappointing. My hotel, of the same name, was just around the corner, so I had walked past on numerous occasions. Not that it’s possible to just casually pass by the Sagrada Familia. Each time, I would stop and stare, fascinated. The stonemasons, seemingly oblivious to passers by, scaled the heights in flimsy cradles. But what would it feel like, inside? Would it be a venerable space, or simply a crazily imaginative work of art? I’ll let you decide.

Light cascades through the windows, from the ceiling down.

I don’t know if I was ever in a more beautiful space.

From the almost traditional

to the surreal.

From strong blues

through rainbow hues

to soft and rosy pale.

Sunlight shimmers off the pillars

and hides in corners.

Even now, just looking at the photos and writing about it, I feel quite emotional. Hard to explain the impact of this place. The altar, like nothing I had ever seen before. I was feeling reverence, while down below, in the parishioners church, a service was taking place.

A simple Christ

Then there was the tower to climb. Fortunately, the lift did most of the work.

But following the stairwell was a slightly surreal experience.

Looking out past the trussed up new features

Looking out past the trussed up newer features

Were windows ever so strangely adorned?

And then the exterior, worked upon for so long. (Gaudi began in 1883!)

A window, barely visible for sculpture

And one exquisitely surrounded

What do they make of it all?

I hope I have managed to convey some of the beauty and artistry of the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia. It’s fair to say, there is nowhere else like it. What an incredible man was Antoni Gaudi, “God’s Architect”. The current projection for completion is 2033.

This is my contribution to Dawn’s Lingering look at Windows this week. I wasn’t disappointed. I hope you weren’t either? Meantime, Debbie, over at Travel with Intent has asked if I would like to link this post to her challenge, Look up, Look down. So that’s a lot more folks to visit, isn’t it? Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau- a Modernista triumph

Scaffolding, barriers and grey skies are not what you want to see on your first afternoon in Barcelona. I had already had a glimpse at Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, and was still trying to assimilate what I had seen. A stroll along Avinguda de Gaudi led me to this spectacle. According to the guidebook it was Hospital de Santa Creu i Sant Pau, the work of Modernista architect Lluis Domenech i Montaner.

I had read about his incredible work of art, the Palau de la Musica Catalana, but this building was nothing like any hospital I had ever seen. Apparently when it was completed in 1901 it was the most advanced in Europe. Domenech i Montaner conceived of a hospital which was modern and functional but also aesthetically pleasing. He designed 12 pavilions, each with a different medical speciality, and linked them with underground passages. Light, ventilation and decoration were crucial to his plan, with open spaces for the use and wellbeing of the patients.

Standing on tiptoe I tried to take a shot of these magnificent buildings. I never truly believe that barriers like this are meant to exclude me, so I made a circuit of the enormous site, looking for a way in.

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You can see, it didn’t happen! But I saw enough to be seriously impressed. When I got home I checked the website and it seems that guided tours are available. You get to wear a crash helmet and orange jacket too. Never mind! There never was time for everything in Barcelona, and I have a new passion in life- Lluis Domenech i Montaner.

I know that Paula has a healthy curiosity about life too, so I’m hoping she’ll enjoy this tribute and welcome it into her Thursday’s Special.

Thursday : Lingering look at Windows- week 45

How about this for a view through a window?

If ever you are in Barcelona, find yourself just half an hour to tour the Palau de la Musica Catalana. Better yet, attend a performance. I promise you, you will not find a more beautiful theatre.

I had never before heard of the architect Lluis Domenech i Montaner, but on my first day in Barcelona I stumbled upon his Hospital de Santa Creu i Sant Pau and was immensely impressed. Day two found me lost in admiration for his Art Nouveau jewel of a theatre, which has been a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. The website aptly describes it as “a magical music box which brings together all the decorative arts”.

The view from foyer to the outside courtyard.

The view from the foyer to the outside courtyard.

And then there are the stairs up to the theatre.

The details are beautiful

Then you are in the amazing theatre itself.

The auditorium is filled with natural light which filters in through the stained glass skylight and windows. It was designed for daytime performances and the theme throughout is the natural world. It is truly a masterpiece. Sadly most performances these days are on an evening, as the tour guide explained. She obviously loved her job and it wasn’t hard to see why.

It's hard to do the stained glass ceiling justice in a photo

It’s hard to do the stained glass ceiling panel justice in a photo

Or the trencadis “muses” that adorn the stage

Each plays a musical instrument, though it might be hard to see here

Each plays a musical instrument- lute, tambourine, Catalan castanets…

The tour includes a short video which explains the background to the theatre’s existence and Catalan pride in this theatre, created purely for its’ choir and musical life. In the theatre itself, the guide then explains all the symbolism and the special use of trencadis (mosaic made from broken tiles). I had already perused the website and taken the virtual tour, but still I was enraptured with this wonderful creation, and a fan of Lluis Domenech i Montaner for life.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at some rather special windows with me. A word of warning- be careful exiting down the marble stairs. I descended rather faster than I intended!

Dawn has reached week 45 with this challenge. Sorry I’ve missed a few, but I have a few more up my sleeve for the future. Come and join us!

Weekly Photo Challenge : an unusual viewpoint

This is a first for me- a single photograph! There is a good reason, as I will be posting more in Six word Saturday tomorrow, but this little mermaid seemed to fit the bill perfectly. The view is of Huntcliff Nab at Saltburn-by-the Sea, another of North Yorkshire’s charming seaside resorts. A tradition has grown up in recent years of festooning available railings with knitting. Last year was, of course, the Royal Jubilee, but I was very taken with this year’s seaside theme, artistically draped along Saltburn pier.

I’ve written about Saltburn before, in a post called Secrets, which gives a little of the area’s history. Meantime, I hope you like my entry for this week’s Daily Post challenge. Huntcliff Nab is beautiful in its own right but I love an Unusual Point of View. Click on the link to view the other entries.

Thursday : Lingering look at windows- week 31

I’m struggling to fit eveything in tonight because I’m going to my daughter’s in Nottingham for the weekend tomorrow. But it’s Thursday, and that means a lingering look at windows, right?

I thought I’d simply show you more of the trompe l’oeuil windows that I featured in Sonel’s black and white photo challenge this week, but in colour, of course. Which is quite amusing because Dawn at Lingering Visions has chosen to use black and white photos for the challenge. They are really fabulous, so do go and look.

My “windows” are a feature of the Italian restaurant “La Spaghettata” in Durham. I think you’ll agree, they lend a wonderful atmosphere.

Black and White weekly photo challenge : Windows (and doors)

Spotted in the entrance to The Station, Richmond

An interesting view of windows and doors in The Station, Richmond.

You could be forgiven for thinking that I’m still participating in Sonel’s Abstract black and white photo challenge with the above shot, but you would be wrong. One of many things I have gained from the challenges is the desire to look at things a little differently, and to experiment now and then. No-one encourages this more than Sonel, and she very much enjoys to “play” with her photography and create wonderful effects.

Sonel gave us permission to post this week, although the challenge is sadly concluding. You probably know I’m partial to windows (and doors) so I’m happy to contribute one last time.

A whimsical window in Durham

Trompe l’oeuil windows in a favourite Durham restaurant

It was our 24th wedding anniversary yesterday and, in addition to receiving 24 red roses, I was taken to a favourite Italian restaurant in Durham, “La Spaghettata”. The trompe l’oeuil panels always capture my attention, and I thought you might like them in black and white.

Colour will always be my first love, but I have enjoyed my flirtation with black and white. I hope you have too.

Sonel, I don’t care whether you show me your delightful Vervet monkeys in black and white or in gentle colour. All that matters is that you continue to share your enormous talents with us, as, and when, you can. On behalf of all of us who have taken part in your Black and White photo challenge, thank you.

Say it with flowers

My walk into town took me twice as long as usual yesterday. The camera just wouldn’t stay in my pocket! So I have a small bouquet to present. What better way to tell someone you love them? These are for my daughter, Lisa.