Lady Chevy hired for a drive around Habana …

♥ Packed plenty of Summer Warmth & Sunshine from Cuba to Wish You a Peaceful & Joyful 2019 ♥

The single-legged giants were topping other trees,were peering at the firmament,longing to pierce the white cloud-ceiling and fly away,away,if only they had wings.

Although Greece has been in the middle of a heavy snowfall for three days now,I am still dancing to the Tropical Cuban Rhythm.
Can’t help but throw some more shapes on the memory floor ♪♫♬ Guantanamera ♪♫♬

 

The song Guantanamera is a Cuban folk song based on the poem Cultivo Una Rosa Blanca by the poet and hero of the Cuban revolution,Jose Marti. It’s a song of revolution,as well as a song of peace.Marti wrote: “Life on earth is a hand-to-hand mortal combat… between the law of love and the law of hate”

“And for the cruel one who would break my heart; And for the cruel one who would pluck out my living heart,I cultivate neither thistles nor nettles; I cultivate a white rose …

 

I Have a White Rose to Tend

I have a white rose to tend
In July as in January;
I give it to the true friend
Who offers his frank hand to me.
And for the cruel one whose blows
Break the heart by which I live,
Thistle nor thorn do I give:
For him, too, I have a white rose.Jose Marti

 

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Soon with You to catch up first,return all your kind visits and then to show you aroud the vibrant and soulful Cuba.Lady Chevy is patiently waiting ♥

 

 

 

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When the Clock Strikes 12 on New Year’s Eve, I’ll be in a very far-off land,I’ll read a few verses for you,and send my kindest thoughts with the sun’s warm rays …

 

★ Ring in Redress to All Mankind … ★

 

★ Ring in Redress to All Mankind … ★

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let 2018 die.
Ring out the old, ring in the New,
Ring, happy bells, across the world;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the love of truth and right,

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;

Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of Peace –  ( Alfred, Lord Tennyson )

 

♥ May the Year ahead be full of Peace,Contentment & Joy ♥

Thanks kindly for all your visits & the Likes ☆ ♥ ♥

 

See you All again in 2019 – ♥ Love & Peace ♥

I’ll pay some flashing visits & leave my Likes before leaving for my holidays; in full action when I come back early January ♥ ♥ ♥

 

PS :The “Roman Holiday” film fans will probably recognize that this is the clock tower which could be seen from Joe Bradley’s window.Release date‎: ‎August 27, 1953; I was a baby then,but I enjoyed it some years ago when it was re-released on 16 July 2009.

 

★ Happy New Year 2019 ★

counting down second by second ,minute by minute …

www.timeanddate.com/countdown/to?msg=****+HAPPY+New+Year+…

 

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Sacred Mount Agung Volcano in Indonesia & Religious Wayside Shrines to keep Enceladus Giant sleeping …

 

Prayers for no more Earthquakes,Trembles,Moans,thick Fumes,and Apocalyptic Tsunamis spreading death …

Inconceivable disaster,words seem inadequate to express our true empathy.

 

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Nativity Sand Sculpture

 

 

★ Novel Nativity Scene at Vatican’s St.Peter’s Square Sculpted completely out of 700 tons of Sand ★

When a Child is Born … Gloria in Excelsis Deo!

See him in a manger laid,
Whom the choirs of angels praise;
While our hearts in love we raise;

A ray of hope flickers in the sky
A tiny star lights up way up high
All across the land dawns a brand new morn
A silent wish sails the seven seas
The winds of change whisper in the trees
And the walls of doubt crumble tossed and torn …

This comes to pass, when a child is born -Gregorian Chant – O Come All Ye Faithful

 

Here comes the story of the Nativity Sand Scupture,before my Christmas wishes ♥

The traditional scene,not so traditional this year,depicts Joseph,Mary and the Infant Jesus surrounded by angels,shepherds,animals and the Three Wise Men.It was made with over 700 tons of sand from Jesolo,a resort town near Venice,it is 16-meter wide,5-meter tall & covers 25 square metres.

Three sand artists from Russia,Holland and the Czech Republic,worked under the direction of Rich Varano,an American professional sand artist.They worked on the site for weeks behind a screen to prevent people from seeing the scene before it was finished.

“It’s an Ephemeral Art in the sense that it is not intended to last forever,even though we could make it last indefinitely if we wanted to … ” Rich Varano

The famous artist,who has been making sand sculptures for decades,said that it was a very humbling and emotional experience to be in such a place surrounded by rich culture,history and the Art from the Masters.

The Nativity scene by the obelisk at the center of St. Peter’s square next to the decorated large Christmas tree has a large overhead canopy to protect the scene from any heavy rain and plastic curtains to be lowered in case of storms or strong winds.It will remain here until January 7 /2019 and then the sand will be returned to where it came from.

Pope Francis,in thanking sponsors for the Christmas tree and the Nativity scene,said that a natural poor material,recalls the simplicity,the smallness with which God revealed himself with the birth of Jesus in the precariousness of Bethlehem.The Pope will visit & bless the Nativity scene on December 31.

 

★ Rejoicing the Holiness of Christmas in St. Peter’s Square ★

 

Christmas – Gregorian – Celebrate Christmas

The bas-relief sand sculpture of the Nativity scene is a gift of the Italian seaside resort town of Jesolo in Venice,and the 23-metre tall Red Fir Christmas Tree next to the crib is a gift of Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia region and the diocese of Concordia-Pordenone.

Gregorian Glória Excelsis

My warmest wishes to you & yours for peace and joy this Christmastide.

It’s a special time for joyful holiday celebrations,and reflection on the many things for which we’re grateful.This time of year is a chance to give,support,help and make our world a better place.

Catholicism’s Mystical Aura against the Night skies

 

Gregorian – The Sound of Silence

Moments of Peace

In Restless Dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one Dared
Disturb the Sound of Silence …

PS : St.Peter’s Basilica,the ultimate symbol of Vatican City,is one of the most beautiful buildings in Rome.

The imposing church we see today isn’t the original basilica of St.Peter.The ancient church was built in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine,the Roman empire’s first Christian emperor.
By the early Renaissance,Pope Julius II made the decision to tear it down and build a new one.
Sad though as thousands of pieces of priceless,ancient art, from mosaics to statues,were destroyed.But the Papal Basilica of St. Peter,or simply St. Peter’s Basilica,built from 1506-1626,is a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance architecture in Vatican City State,the papal enclave within the city of Rome.

Well, ★ Tis the Season to be Giving ♥ Loving & Caring … ♥

There is no Religion without Love …
Give,Believe,Sparkle,be Kind,Joyful & Bright

♥ Merry Christmas to All of You who celebrate the Nativity of Christ & Love & Peace to Everyone ♥

★ May the Sweet Magic of Chrismas fills in your Heart & Soul ★

 

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I’ll pay some flashing visits & leave my Likes before leaving for my holidays; in full action when I come back early January ♥ ♥ ♥

 

 

 

 

 

” TIME EXPIRED “

 

“Time Expired” by Vern Blosum 1962
exhibited at MoMA – Museum of Modern Art in New York City

Time Expired … zero minutes …

Om,did it ? Where did it go ? Does it really Exist ?
Do I have to subscribe to Her again and start counting every second of my life ?

Well,time to jump-start the rusty engine of my WordPress vehicle and begin posting again once in a while …

– it was parked from July 2018 to December  2018 –

But,I shall have to use at once the promptness of energy and the pleasure of carefreeness.

I decided to bridge the gap between my long WordPress Absence & my Return through Art.Apparetly,art’s impact on the beholder doesn’t stop with paint on canvas …

A Parallel between Modern Art & Real Life

 

– Supplementary Commentary for the Art Enthusiasts –

The Parking Meters by Vern Blosum are Rediscovered,and
here is the rather complex saga of his Paintings beyond the Frame.

Who is Vern Blosum,the semi-fictional artist who slyly parodied Pop Art ?
According to the New York Times, ‘In the early 1960s,many Modernist abstract painters reacted to Pop Art with fear.One of them,using the pseudonym Vern Blosum,expressed his annoyance by perpetrating a hoax.
From 1961 to 1964,he produced Pop-style paintings of images similar to the drawings in this exhibition.
The rising artist exhibited his Pop inspired paintings alongside the likes of Andy Warhol.In fact,Vern Blosum was an alias constructed by a young,abstract painter living in New York.
He was perhaps best known for his paintings that were intended to mock Pop Art.Paradoxically,the works were included in several exhibitions dedicated to the movement and were acquired by institutions such as MoMA in New York.

Vern Blosum was the pseudonym adopted by the young and committed abstract painter who,by his own modernist high-culture standards,considered Pop Art itself to be fraudulent. But for Blosum,Pop Art was not just simply a fraud but also a complex social system which he sought to understand and reproduce.He painted everyday technologies and signage of the modern city such as : images of stop signs,parking meters,fire hydrants, mailboxes,all combined with hand-painted words beneath each representation.

Despite growing interest in his work,the absence of Blosum’s biographical data put an end to the artist’s ruse.However,he surfaced again,with two widely reviewed exhibitions at galleries in New York and Los Angeles.Wishing to remain anonymous,the true identity of the artist behind Vern Blosum is still unknown,it remains a mystery,known by only a few.
He chose his pseudonym from his “Vernal Blossom” series,a number of botanical illustration paintings in 1961.

Vern Blosum did not Exist

When a rumour emerged regarding his true identity,Alfred H. Barr,director of MoMA,started to worry about it in 1964,and after extensive inquiries,came to the conclusion that Vern Blosum did not Exist.His paintings were taken down or sent back to storage,and the artist’s name fell into oblivion.When the great MoMA curator Alfred Barr suspected he’d been tricked by Blosum,he said, “Hoax or No Hoax,I like the “TIME EXPIRED” painting.”

Blosum’s career posed unusual questions for scholars and critics,who, for years,had been trying to research him.Blosum was not a real person,or at least not completely.His true identity has never been revealed,although thanks to articles by the artists Greg Allen and William E. Jones,it is known that an Abstract Expressionist was puppeteering Blosum during the early 1960s,and that he was doing so as a critique of Pop art’s arguably simple-minded embrace of consumer culture.
Hidden behind the anonymity of a pseudonym,he wanted to reveal what he saw as the shallowness of Pop art.

“You should always have a product that is not you.” Andy Warhol

Vern Blosum does not Exist, but his Work does.
It doesn’t matter that Blosum didn’t exist.His ruse succeeded thanks to the institutional acceptance of Neo-dada Aesthetics and the greediness of the Art Market.

“Every refutation is a mirror of the thing it refutes–ad infinitum.” Robert Smithson

And then,one day we read in ARTNEWS :

“Vern Blosum,the elusive persona of an unknown abstract painter who,over the course of four years in the 1960s,incisively parodied Pop, died on August 20 – 2017 at 81.

Essex Street gallery in New York,which represents the semi-fictional artist,confirmed the news,but did not provide a place or cause of death.
When Blosum was active between 1961–1964,he produced some 44 paintings,intended to mock Pop Art,and then again for a brief reprise in 2015,a swan song …

“Every refutation is a mirror of the thing it refutes–ad infinitum.” Robert Smithson

 

 

The Journey Continues to the 2,000-year-old city of Ancient Messene

 

Exploring the Mani Peninsula in the Peloponnese …

Walking into the city of Ancient Messene in Ithomi and following the footsteps of Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor into the peerless sights of the Mani,where his heart lies.

He loved the jagged cliffs falling away into the vastness of the blue archipelagos and all the wild,remote of the Peloponnese.

 

 

My story starts outside a fortified tower and a church under the dazzling blue Mediterranean sky in Tzokeika and around the wild,stark Mani,which was for centuries the inaccessible domain of the reputed latter-day Spartans …

It was a setimental journey in the footsteps of Patrick and his Greek hideaway.

A tribute to Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor (1915 – 2011)

– knighted in the 2004 New Years Honours –

* In the early 1960s on his travels around the southern Peloponnese he stumbled upon the exotic Mani peninsula and found a place to create his own Elysian Fields, (the final resting place in Greek mythology) ,built on a Maniot cliff top surrounded by olive groves where a new era in his life started.

“We saw a peninsula ending in crescent-shaped beaches.
We walked down into a gently sloping world of the utmost magical beauty.The Mani feels like another world,a reclusive patch of land where fortified medieval towers and a craggy coastline mix with Christian Orthodox churches and the fruity smell of Mediterranean olives.” Patrick Leigh Fermor

The Mani has some of the most dramatic and varied sceneries in the Peloponnese.

It’s a wild,rugged region with steep foothills running down to the pristine coastline.Tiny villages and Byzantine churches nestle amid olive groves and centuries-old olive trees.

 

 

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Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor,universally known as Paddy,was one of the most charismatic and adventurous personalities of the last century.An author,scholar,decorated hero,and a daring adventurer;he was widely regarded and celebrated as the finest travel writer of his generation.As a member of the British Military mission to Greece,he played a prominent role in the Cretan resistance during the Second World War.A great admirer and lover of Greece,he chose to live in the Mani for the rest of his life.

Everything about Ancient Messene is monumental.I stepped back to time and walked the paths of the archaeological site.

Korai & Priestesses statues in Artemisio started narrating history and describing moments of past glories.All the statues in the museum were eager to make my journey memorable.

 

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It was a visit to Artemisio with a view to Asklepieion complex and the Sanctuary of Artemis Limnatis.The catalogue of the Museum includes more than 12,000 findings.

Nontheless,given the building’s restricted space,they are not all exhibited at the same time.

Artemis Limnatis is identified with Lafria,an ancient pre-Hellenic goddess of nature,life and death.Korai statues were votive offerings to deities,mainly goddesses such as Athena and Artemis,and showed off the economic and social status within a polis (city).

The old city with the construction of the Arcadian Gate,founded in the 4th century BC by the Theban general Epaminondas,is situated on a fertile valley under the southern slopes of Mt Ithome,once the strongest manmade fortress of the Ancient Messene.Excavations in the site began in 1828 in connection with the French Morea Expedition during the Greek War of Independence,and continue up until the present day.

Ancient Messene,which is not destroyed by other settlements,is one of the most important cities of antiquity.I followed the signs and walked around the columns of the Asklepeion,the Ecclesiastereion,the Theatre,the Bouleuterion,the Arsinoe Fountain,the Stadium and the Gymnasium in all its grandeur.

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Archaeological Site & Museum of Ancient Messene – Ithomi – as a cultural and artistic center of the Ancient Hellenistic World.

A sign showed the way out to Meligalas & other beautiful places near the ancient city.

 

 

I spotted an Arboreal Structure with a View to the Messinian Mani

I had to give it a title, ” Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd … ” , popped into my head.

The Topiary trees were overlooking the unspoiled Pantazi beach,or Plati Ammos in the Messenian Gulf.

We were all very happy then,it was in the middle of June,there were no deadly wildfires in Greece,California US,and Sweden …

The next day I found a couple of boats in a nearby fishing village.The name of the lady under the flag was ” ΥΠΑΡΧΩ ” = “I EXIST “.She gave me hope …

 

I approached the other lady on the rocks,her usual winter home,she was wearing her colourful clothes to welcome summer …

The voice of the sea was seductive …

Never ceasing,whispering,murmuring,inviting the soul to wander the blue archipelagos  …

 

Summer 2018

It was a scheduled post – Thanks kindly for your visit  ♥

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When is an Island not an Island ?

 

 

 

Cramond’s Tidal Palette in Drum Sands

Nature’s Golden Realm in the sandflats are of international importance for thousands of Wading birds and Winter Fowl.Designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the sands form part of the Firth of Forth Special Protection Area (SPA) and a RAMSAR Site,which is an intergovernmental environmental treaty established in 1971 by UNESCO, and coming into force in 1975.

Beautiful was this world,nature’s potential indescribable;

The shapes of the tidal waters entrancing ; they were slipping with a glossy sheen into the brown reflections of the flats as the waves were slapping away …

 

I felt like a bird in the Estuary that never wants a cage …

 

Cramond Island Connected to the Mainland at Low Tide

 

Here’s Cramond’s Causeway & the Concrete Pylons from a distance.

View from the island,near a gun emplacement,looking back to the mainland and to Scotland’s history.

Cramond is a 19 acres,uninhabited Tidal Island located 1.5 km out to sea just off the mainland in the Firth of Forth and it is connected to the mainland via a Causeway at Low Tide across the Drum Sands.Firth is a Scots word which means Estuary & Forth is the name of the River.

Geologically, the Firth of Forth is a fjord, formed by the Forth Glacier in the last glacial period.The island is part of the Dalmeny Estate.

The causeway runs at the foot of a row of Huge Concrete Pylons which were constructed as a submarine defence boom during the second World War and they are one of the most striking sights in the area.At High Tide, which comes in deceptively fast,the path is covered by seawater which cuts the island off from the mainland.

 

Vestiges of History in the Tidal Island of Cramond

Wartime Concrete in a Tidal Island among the Shadowed Cones.Remains of WW II in Cramond through Time where stripped-out gun-emplacements gawped at ships …

And,in the distant horizon beyond the headland,faint sunrays with the colours of the rainbow spread out freely on the dark silhouettes of Arthur’s Seat and over Auld Reekie,the Athens of the North,yon Empress of the North,Edina,Britaine’s other Eye,as Ben Jonson describes it …

You have to check the crossing times,which are posted at the start of the causeway,otherwise you’ll be stuck there until the coastguard comes to rescue you.

 

The submarine boom connecting Cramond Island to the mainland is part of a larger network of anti submarine defences constructed during WWII to protect the Forth and its dockyards.

 

Undiscovered Eastern Scotland – Drum Sands Hound Point,near South Queensferry

Next time, when I come back from my summer holidays,we’ll visit Stirling Castle

Exploring Places of Power & Beauty

 

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Thank you for your kind visit ♥

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How history,architecture,arts and culture have shaped London into one of the greatest cities in the world.

Samuel Johnson ventured to say that there is more learning within the circumference of ten miles from where we now sit,than in all the rest of the world.Certainly,there is no time to waste in London,no time at all to be bored.

Monumental statues bring history out in open space.Gods,ancient kings and queens,and warriors who glorify military action,remain accessible to people all times.Public art records and celebrates important events in the history of a city,it lifts up humanity and challenges the audiences.

“Boadicea and Her Daughters”- Victoria Embankmen,Westminster.

They were mounted on a war chariot drawn by two rearing horses.She was queen of a Celtic tribe who led an uprising in Roman Britain.

 

“Boadicea and Her Daughters” sculptured by Thomas Thornycroft.

The War Memorial at Euston railway Station,designed by Reginald Wynn Owen

Commemoration WW I (1914-1918) – WW II (1939-1945) – Camden Town,Greater London

The inscription reads : Remember the Men and Women of the London Midland and Scottish.

 

Elephant art sculpture outside Newcombe House,Notting Hill Gate W11.

In 2010 some 260 elephants appeared all over London.They were decorated by all sorts of famous people.After parading for several months and reminding us of their place in the history of the Empire,they were auctioned off with success and the proceeds donated to a charity that supports the conservation of Asian elephants.

This iron elephant is still working hard and remains loyal to its position.

 

Brutalist Architecture fans won’t be disappointed in London and in the heart of The City.Ambitious structures,skyscrapers and Towers pop up every time you look up,they dramatically change London’s skyline.Only Spider Man,the iconic web-slinger on an art installation,can conquer such heights.

 

City Hall,a bulbous-shaped building near the Tower Bridge,has a startling new design.Those who dislike modern architecture compare it to a misshapen egg.British architect Norman Foster,who designed it,says that they chose this particular shape for the glass and steel structure because it reduces surface area and makes the building more energy efficient.

It’s comforting though to see some old historical mansions with grand architectural style still standing alongside the modern giants.

London and fog always go together,towers are shrouded in mist and mercurial clouds are persistently hovering above Big Ben,which will remain silent until 2021.

A Pub or an Urban Garden … ?

The Churchill Arms -Notting Hill, Kensington

The Fuller’s colourful pub was built in 1750 and given its name after the Second World War.It’s one of the oldest and more historic pubs.Landlord Gerry O’Brien,a genial Irishman,decided that what the Churchill Arms was lacking was a garden sitting on its head.It all started with a couple of hanging baskets and now it has some 100 flower tubs,42 baskets and 48 window boxes.

Dripping in flowers outside and crammed with Churchill memorabilia and other eclectic decorations inside.It was once Evening Standard pub of the year because it is within walking distance of the Evening Standard and its co-tenant the Daily Mail.

The pub wasn’t named after Winston Churchill,but there’s a nice family link as Churchill’s grandparents — the 7th Duke of Marlborough and Lady Frances Anne Emily Vane — drank here regularly in the 1800s.It had and still has a mixed clientele.

Well,come on in and have a drink at The Churchill Arms.Fuller’s pubs are renowned for outstanding cask conditioned ale.Have a pint of London Pride,or Olivers Island,or a glass of wine to accompany steaming plates of spiced meats,traditional food or even Thai food.You might meet some very,very friendly natives and have a chat too or talk history.

Cheers to you all ♥

 

The evening was cold but dry,the colours of the city still vibrant on the facades of the mansions,in the streets and bridges.

 

Oh,those scaffolds,hoardings,containers and cranes,they go almost everywhere in big cities,they have marked their own era and have made the photographer’s life difficult … I find them all quite an eyesore.

 

At least,they are not included in LEGO constructions at the moment … as seen at the world’s largest LEGO artwork store in London’s Leicester Square.It is the subtle yet stunning details that make LEGO so appealing to all ages and all levels of ability.

 

Covent Garden had its own colours.”That’s the Way to Do it !”

Punch & Judy Balcony Bar on a historic building in Covent Garden Market in the West End of London.This “listed building” retains much of the original brick and stonework and is one of very few properties in Covent Garden that escaped damage in World War II.

Having an after dinner drink at Punch & Judy pub while watching people watching the world from a balcony.As I was looking at old buildings from a different angle,I  brought to my mind Mr Punch’s famous phrase with the characteristic sense of gleeful self-satisfaction …”That’s the Way to Do it !”

A brief history of Punch and Judy associated with traditional British Culture.

Punch arrived in England in the 17th century and was first recorded by the diarist Samuel Pepys.” Thence to see an Italian puppet play that is within the rails there,which is very pretty,the best that ever I saw, and a great resort of gallants.” Samuel Pepys Diary, 9 May 1662.

Covent Garden’s Punch & Judy pub was built in 1787 and was named after the famous Punch and Judy puppet performances that used to take place in Covent Garden’s Piazza for the children of flower-sellers.The shows were not just for children though.Aspects of the comedy such as the marital strife between Punch and Judy,obviously struck a chord with many adult members of the audience.

Pulcinella went down particularly well with Restoration British audiences (1660- 1710),who were fun-starved after years of Puritanism.In October 1662 Signor Bologna,the Italian puppet showman, was honoured with a royal command performance by Charles II at Whitehall.The king rewarded him with a gold chain and medal,a gift worth £25 then,or about £3,000 today.

He became a spirit of Britain,a subversive maverick who defies authority.

Punchinello who Pepys saw in Covent Garden in 1662 can be seen there every May,flouting political correctness and entertaining audiences in the same spirit that he has done for over 355 years.

And,a couple of nights out in London,enjoying theatre going,having a drink on The Heron Milton Court Tower and dinner in Chinatown.

Having a talk with “the Bard” at Leicester Square Gardens before heading for the Lyseum Theatre.William Shakespeare’s Statue sculpted by Giovanni Fontana after an original by Peter Scheemakers’ 18th-century monument to Shakespeare in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey.It’s the only outdoor statue of “the Bard” in central London.

The evening light set up the “stage” with colourful shades and reflective shapes around his statue and its pedestal,which is flanked by dolphins at the centre of a fountain.

The scroll held by Shakespeare is inscribed with a quotation from the Twelfth Night

“There is no Darkness but Ignorance”

He was a master of figurative language;his lessons still resonate today,and characters from his plays continue to appeal to our humanity.He punctuated big moments with heroic couplets and ended powerful scenes with tidy rhymes.This is Poetry,I thought to myself …

“Good, my lord, will you see the players well bestowed at Lyseum ?
Do you hear, let them be well used; for they are the abstract and brief chronicles of the time.Suit the action to the word, the word to the action, with this special observance,that you o’erstep not the modesty of nature … “Hamlet (1600-1602)

Ben Jonson contributed a long poem in praise of Shakespeare,a formal panegyric.

He mentions in his verses that he must be put with the greatest classical tragedians (Euripides, Sophocles, Seneca); and in comedy, Jonson says, he stands alone, above even Aristophanes,Terence and Plautus.

To the Memory of My Beloved Author,Mr. William Shakespeare – By Ben Jonson

“He was not of an age,but for all time!And all the Muses still were in their prime, when, like Apollo, he came forth to warm our ears,or like a Mercury to charm!

I confess thy writings to be such as neither man nor muse can praise too much.The applause,delight,the wonder of our stage!My Shakespeare,rise!I will not lodge thee by Chaucer,or Spenser;a little further,to make thee a room: Thou art a monument without a tomb.Nature herself was proud of your designs and joy’d to wear the dressing of his lines,which were so richly spun,and woven so fit …

Sweet Swan of Avon!What a sight it were to see thee in our waters yet appear,and make those flights upon the banks of Thames,but stay,I see thee in the hemisphere advanc’d,and made a constellation there!Shine forth,thou star of poets … “

 

Performing Arts at the Lyceum Theatre – “The Lion King” – a retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

The Theatre opened in July 1834,hosted a circus,doubled up as a chapel,and was also home to the first Madame Tussaud’s waxworks exhibition,before becoming a licensed house in 1809.Between 1816-1834,it operated as The English Opera House.

The Spitit of Life

“The Lion King” opened in West End in October 1999 and is currently in its 19th year of production.It is among the top ten longest running shows at West End and has received love and adulation across generations.It has been watched by over 14 million people.Also,it has received 8 nominations for the Laurence Olivier Awards and won 2 of them – for Best Theatre Choreographer and Best Costume Design.With its impeccable set,brilliant costumes,and a talented cast, the play transports you to a completely different world in the heart of the African Savannah.

“Everywhere the Light Touches is our Kingdom … “

“All the World’s a Stage and Life a Play … “

Enduring the appeal of “The Lion King”,inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet.If you find yourself crying,it’s out of joy and wonderment.

The story centres on courage,loyalty,and love of home and family values.

A lyrical,dramatic and epic musical show that dazzles all ages with its most rousing music and the evocative rhythms of Africa set against the majesty of the Serengeti Plains.A real feast to the senses that endears to young patrons and old alike.Such emotion in this performance.They sing from the heart.The Score is written by Elton John with lyrics by Time Rice,additional music by Hanns Zimmer and choral arrangements by Lebo M.

“ The Circle of Life ” ♪♫♬ “ & Can You Feel the Love Tonight ” ♪♫♬ …

It has echoes of Shakespeare bringing to mind the plots of both Richard III and Hamlet.

Good, my lord,you suited the action to the word,the word to the action,with this special observance,that you o’erstepped not the modesty of nature.I saw the players well bestowed and used ; for they are the abstract and brief chronicles of the time.
Hamlet (1600-02)

Life’s but a Walking Shadow … Everywhere the Light Touches is our Kingdom …

Time to get high in the West End to stay up in the clouds.We headed for London’s best rooftop bars,roof terraces,open-air bars and sky-high drinking dens.The Heron Tower,the tallest building in the City of London,was abuzz with the sounds of love.

The magic of night lights was plouwing the dark,the widescreen views from the thirty-eighth floor of the Heron Tower were sensational.

If we could say everything in words,we wouldn’t need to photograph …

A couple near the “flame” at Sushisamba Bar and under the quirky orange-lit tree was taking advantage of the beautiful external terrace as they could still hear “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”  ♪♫♬ echoing in the night sky.

Can You Feel the Love Tonight  ♪♫♬ … ?

” There’s a calm surrender to the rush of day;when the heat of the rolling world can be turned away,an enchanted moment and it sees me through.It is where we are.

There’s a time for everyone, if they only learn that the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn.There’s a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors,when the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours … ♪♫♬ ” Elton John / Tim Rice …

The very next night we decided to paint the town red.

out for Happy Hour

Mr Blue Sky turned Bluer after the Nightfall

– Why Mr Blue Sky you turned bluer after the nightfall?
– Ask Lord Rayleigh & the whiter energy-saving Lights,Ms … ☼

* The Spririt & Soul of Ethnic Enclaves *
The distinct character of Chinatown in the City of Westminster,a small yet incredibly vibrant part in the big city to get a true taste of the Orient …

* A night out painting the Town Red when the Sky turned Bluer and painted more Blue on Blue …

Inside a bar for a glass of Huangjiu wine and an illusionary sense that you are somewhere far away to get the true taste of the East …

Goethe said that “A joy shared is a joy doubled … “

 

The very next day the only photo I took was Jellicle,a latchkey fur-kid …

She looked like a character from the Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats T.S.ELIOT

Jellicle Cats are black and white,
Jellicle Cats have moonlit eyes,
Jellicle Cats are rather small;
Jellicle Cats are merry and bright,
And pleasant to hear when they “sing” .♩♪♫♬

I caught her awaiting spring and her parents;she stirred up sweet memories from the performace of Cats I attended years ago at the New London Theatre.It was directed by Trevor Nunn and the music was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber,who in March 2018 renamed the theatre as the Gillian Lynne Theatre to honour Gillian,the choreographer of Cats.It is the first West End theatre named after a woman.

I excerpt a few lines from “The Diary of Virginia Woolf” to add to my own journal and end my exploration …

 

 “London thou Art a jewel of jewels,and jasper of jocunditie – Music,city views, something central and inexplicable.As a cloud crosses the sun,silence falls on London.Effort ceases.There we Stop;there we Stand.”

 

” Your own exploration therefore has to be personalized;you’re doing it for yourself, increasing your own store of particular knowledge,walking your own eccentric version of the city. “G.Nicholson

 

A Former Benedictine Abbey Church in All its Glory

 

 

Cathedral & Abbey Church in St Albans –  Hertfordshire

 It ceased to be an Abby in the 16th century and became a cathedral in 1877.

 

St Alban’s Abbey, with the shrine of England’s first martyr, became prestigious and important throughout most of the medieval period and it was England’s premier Benedictine abbey.Rich the Benedictine heritage of this place of worship …

St Benedict taught that “Proper honour must be shown to all, especially to pilgrims.” Hospitality is at the heart of the story of Alban who welcomed the fugitive priest.Today pilgrims from many different Christian denominations are encouraged to follow his ways.The largest of these pilgrimages takes place in June, at St Alban’s Day, with many thousands converging on the cathedral.

* A day after officiating the Royal wedding of Prince Harry & Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle, Archbishop Justin Welby addressed hundreds of Christians at St Albans Cathedral on the eve of Pentecost Sunday (May 20), marking the end of the prayer movement ‘Thy Kingdom Come’.

** During the service he also blessed 500 postcards carrying prayers and strength for GCSE and A-Level students ahead of their exams.Additionally,there were prayer stations focused on social justice themes,including praying for people trapped in modern-day slavery.

 

What’s this Soldier Puppet doing under the Rose Window of St Alban ?

 

– Working On a Project – The Alban Pilgrimage 2018 – Saturday 23rd June –

As part of the Alban,Britain’s First Saint Project,students from Oaklands College are working throughout March 2018 to create a new puppet for the Pilgrimage Event.

The Alban Pilgrimage takes place annually and is held in honour of the city’s namesake,St Alban, who died on 22nd June over 1700 years ago.He was executed for giving shelter to a Christian priest later named Amphibalus who was fleeing persecution by the Romans.Moved by the priest’s faith,Alban became a Christian and the two men swapped cloaks, enabling the priest to escape.Alban was arrested instead, brought to trial and executed on the hill where St Albans Cathedral now stands.

Stunning 12-ft tall carnival puppets and a procession of around 300 children,teenagers and adults from the local community dramatize the tale of Alban’s martyrdom,with the final scene taking place at the West End of St Albans Cathedral,the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain.It’s a wonderful spectacle as giant carnival puppets tell the story of the remarkable man who gave the city its name.

Roman chariots,centurions,lions and roses all take their place in the dramatic procession from St Peter’s Church,through the historic streets to St Albans.

* Stephen Hawking (1942–2018),theoretical physicist, was educated at St Albans School.

 

 Enough of History and Culture – Time for a glass of Binghams Vanilla Stout or a pint of Bitter at the oldest octagonal pub near St Albans Cathedral,just outside the perimeter of Verulamium Park.

 

Enigmatic and very long the story of -Ye Olde Fighting Cocks – …
Since it was founded in the 8th century,it has had many names.
– Ye Olde Fighting Cocks – has to do with its history of cockfighting,a blood sport banned in UK in the 1800s.

Cockfighting was banned outright in England and Wales and in the British Overseas Territories with the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835.Sixty years later,in 1895,cockfighting was also banned in Scotland, where it had been quite common in the 18th century.In 2015 PETA ( People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ) wrote to the pub’s landlord and its owners,requesting that they should change the name due to its cockfighting association.It should be renamed to “Ye Olde Clever Cocks” to reflect compassion for animals.The request was declined.

* PETA director said: “Changing the name would reflect today’s rejection of needless violence and help celebrate chickens as the intelligent,sensitive & social animals they are.

Well,”Ye Olde Fighting Cocks ” or “Ye Olde Clever Cocks ” ?

Good question mark.

And after enjoying a pint of Bitter and learning a few things about the story of the “Listed Historic Building” of the pub,we headed to the nearby park for an afternoon walk around the Lake.

Verulamium Park in the City of St Albans,located just below St Albans Abbey.

Beautiful parkland with a fantastic lake,fed by the River Ver,and home to a wealth of waterbirds and wildlife habitats enjoying trees and grassland.

The Park is named after the Roman City of Verulamium on which it stands.Hundreds of remarkable objects,excavated from the ground,are displayed in Verulamium Museum.

 

 

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I caught some ducks still swimming and playing and Ms Mallard flirting with water & handsome lads … ♥

 

 

Dilemma … ” To Dive, or Not to Dive … “

I went near the lake and started talking to them.Come on beautiful ducks,let’s play near The Lake,nobody will see us,(DDG) – DuckDuckGo protects our Privacy on the Interner World …

♩♪♫♬ Duck, Duck, Goose – Duck, Duck, Gray Duck … .♩♪♫♬

Drip, Drip, Drop .. ♩♪♫♬ .. ,sing & dance around The Lake …

” More rain, more rest; more water will suit the ducks best … “

Soon,it started raining,it was a duck & dive situation,ideal for the beautiful,undecided ducks …

After playing on words & having fun with the ducks in Verulamium Park;

 

The Birds & I decided to Call it a Day …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Two Gentlemen & The Decisive Moment in a Fancy Hotel Lobbie …

 

 

Celebrating Spring in UK indoors with harmonious symmetry and elaborate floral arrangements.

When photographers talk about composition,they refer to the laws of Visual Coalescence and to Gestalt Theory,which emphasizes that the Whole of anything is Greater than its Parts.

 

The Photo-Perfect moment arises …

It was Bresson’s “the Decisive Moment” concept

 

The two gentlemen are sitting with their legs crossed,they are generously contributing to the absolute symmetry,completely unawares.
The pink trousers go with the pink roses and the blue trousers go with the blue crystal vase …

 

 “To me,photography is the simultaneous recognition,in a fraction of a second,of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms which give that event its proper expression.” Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908 – 2004) .

 

 

Life is Moments …

 

“The photograph itself doesn’t interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality.”Henry Bresson

 

 

 

 

To Auguste Rodin …

British Museum

Rodin and the Art of Ancient Greece

26 April – 29 July 2018 – Rodin Exhibition

 

 

 

Experience the magnificent sculpture of a modern master,and explore how the ancient world shaped his artistic vision.

Discover how ancient Greek sculptures inspired Rodin to set a radical new direction for modern art.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/rodin-1.aspx

Sculptures from the East Pediment of the Parthenon in the British Museum.
High Classical c. 450 – 400 BCE Architectural Sculpture
*Carved from a Single piece of Penteliko Marble.

The Miraculous Birth of the Goddess Athena.

Since the sides of the pediments slope toward the corner angles,Phidias had to solve the problem of fitting the sculptures into a diminishing triangular space.The only figure still to have a head,is the reclining Dionysos.
All others have disappeared or been dispersed across Europe.The statues are preserved in the Acropolis Museum in Athens,the British Museum,and the Louvre Museum.

Relaxed poses of statues exhibiting interaction with each other,graceful architectural curves of garments in deep relief providing high contrast between light and shadows,and
perfectly harmonised with the Doric order …

Look at Dionysus’ muscle structure,Demeter and Persephone in their diploïdions over their girdled chitons,and Iris,the wind-footed Goddess,shown in rapid movement leftwards.
She fleets as the wind,her right knee is bent,she is clad in a chiton with a girdle and a diploïdion too.The drapery is flying out behind.

*Some say that the three Goddesses are Hestia,Dione,and Aphrodite,or,Hera,Nike and Hebe,or “The Moirai”,the three sisters Κλωθώ,Λάχεσις,& Ἄτροπος (Clotho,Lachesis,& Atropos),the female personifications of Fate & Destiny …

How the Immortal Grace of the ancient Greek Sculptures Inspired Rodin …

 

 

* Keeping Europe & Cultures alive …  *

 

 

Europe and the World a Symphony of Cultures

• For the first time,the Museum of the World became a stage for music taking inspiration from around the world,in a unique two-week festival which took place from 16 to 29 April 2018.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjhv_T2A67Q

 

Getting Inspiration …

 “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” Pericles  c. 495 – 429 BC 

 

[Comments Closed] 

 

 

 

Travelling like a cloud above Alpine countries and snow-clad peaks and forgetting to come back …

The Frozen Canals in Göteborg (Gothenburg) in the Kingdom of Sweden & the Bitterly Cold weather in the UK didn’t dampen my spirits …

It was fun trekking on the iced canals with Vassil Simittchiev’s Prometheus and the birds.As for the weather in UK,it was ideal for winter people like me.

Still alive & well,but excessively busy and grappling with a whole slew of emails. Sigh … When off line for a while,I’m finding it hard to catch up.Even so,I’ll do my very best to start Slowly Moving through the WordPress Gears and fight Time,which is my constant nemesis.

Well,time to move Planet ? lol

l should live on Titan,the largest Moon of Saturn,where a Day is the same as the time it takes for the Moon to orbit around Saturn.It’s about 15 days, 22 hours, and 41 minutes.It’d be great,time would never manage to overtake me …

 

Time to be back to reality … Exploring Göteborg in the cold,a wonderful RiverCity by the Sea.It was a nice travel experience as I’d never seen iced canals in my life.

The marble facade of the hotel was “cold” too,the glass reflections frozen …

But,it was warm and cozy indoors;its iconic structure looked like a huge theatrical stage …

A hot cup of “fika” along with some cinnamon Kanelbullar was more than enough before going for a skate …

Göteborg (Gothenburg),Sweden’s second largest city,had some appeal despite the Siberian temperatures.Beautiful neoclassical mansions in the old town,and canals that embrace its largest part and give it bracing vitality and energy.

A visit to the Museum of Göteborg by the iced canal was just the ticket,it was freezing cold outside.Many and interesting all the exhibits.An old telephone device and a Morse key-Morse telegraph caught immediately my attention.

Wonderful old Transmitters & Receivers!How Times Change!

From Semaphores & Telegraphs in the Inter-Net Age ….

I waved to you with a red Göteborg flag and transmitted messages by telegraph,but your reception stations were disconnected due to bad weather conditions ..

Now,that the Inter-Net has invaded our lives,and our cell phone is an extention of our hand,the world is smaller and more connected.Bill Gates says that the Internet is becoming the Town Square for the Global Village of tomorrow.Everything lives on line now.Technological progress frees and then enslaves us ; it’s an unruly tool for helping humans and for destroying them at the same time.Artificial Intelligence develops at the speed of light,it makes me feel that we are very close to an entirely Synthetic Human.Are we any closer to such a life of freedom and bliss?Are we eventually served or enslaved?I find Nassim Taleb’s words truly wise :

“The difference between technology and slavery is that slaves are fully aware that they are not free.”

Will the Human Spirit prevail over Technology ?

How much I like Steve Jobs’ words :

” I would Trade all of my Technology for an afternoon with Socrates.” …

I was waving to you again and again holding a pennant from Haga,Gothenburg’s oldest district,but you didn’t notice … You were Busy Blogging …

 

 

 

I abandoned my attempts to communicate with you through Semaphores and went on to meet Prometheus.I had fixed an appointment with the Titan,days ago.

 

Looking for the “Promethean Spark” on Ice …

What is this black figure doing by the frozen canal ?
Is he the Pyrphoros Titan,the Fire-Bringer,who holds the fire in his hand?

It must be Προμηθεύς (Prometheus) ,a Titan of Greek mythology,who stole fire from the Gods on Mount Olympus & brought it as a gift to mortals,marking the birth of human Culture & the beginning of Civilization with a rebellion against the Unjust Power in order to overthrow the system … His name means “Forethinker,a really meaningful Theophoric name.He became a figure who represented human striving and the quest for scientific knowledge.

Myths & Legends keep inspiring Artists & the World of Change.Throughout the early stages of human existence,men spent their days in a constant fearful awareness of the inevitable.They lived naked,hungry,cold and uneducated.

Prometheus felt this was wrong and asked the Gods on Olympus to do something about it.They refused,claiming mortals would come closer to the Gods,if allowed to cultivate imagination and creativity.Although he could not save them from death,he desired to instill hope for a bright future and possibilities for growth and development during their years on earth.He snuck up Mount Olympus,took fire from the hearth of the gods by stealth,hid the spark in a fennel stalk and ran down the mountain to teach humans the use of fire.Man’s doom was replaced with Light,Hope,Warmth,and Ambition.His gift enabled humans to prolong life and to improve its quality.It was just a tiny spark that lifted humanity to a higher level through imagination & creativity,which were activities exclusively for the Gods.

Darwin considered Fire as the greatest Discovery made by Humanity.

Today,the term “Promethean” refers to events or people of great Creativity,Selflessness,Intellect & Boldness.

PS:The symbolic torch,run from city to city & through each continent before the commencement of the Olympic Games,is in honour of the “Promethean” Gift.

I went closer and met him by the frozen canal,he was not Young and Handsome any longer.He told me a story,not the well known from Greek mythology and how he was Bound … Here,he had another role to play …

 

Prometheus’ ” Protest Art … “

“Prometheus” statue in Götheborg,by Vassil Simittchiev

Why this Flabby,Aged body with the Triangular Pyramid head ?

Artists have the liberty to express their opposition to all the powerholders and get their messages across through artworks that create reaction for the degradation of the human condition over time,stir emotions and cry out for the future of humanity and for the necessary change …

Here’s V.Simittchiev’s answer to GM’s (query editor) Isolde Berner some years ago :

“The work can symbolize that we are no longer Human.It is today’s Prometheus and there is no triangle without a pyramid of concrete he has over his head.

Titan Prometheus is not young and beautiful anymore,it’s an aged body – the human world has aged.The pyramid itself is also a human symbol,depending on how to use it.The world of today is quite still,pyramidal can be said,but it feels hard and no longer really Human in the same way as the world Prometheus saved. But there’s a hope,that’s why he’s holding a torch in his hand.To explain a work in detail, is not easy even for the Artist.The myth of Prometheus has been a recurring motif in art, literature and music, and is found in works by Shelley,Goethe,Michelangelo, Beethoven & Swedes V.Rydberg,Strindberg & Hjalmar Gullberg.”

Triangles in the art world can symbolize psychic or spiritual things as opposed to squares or cubes that symbolize rationalism.The pyramid is also a symbol of illuminism,but Prometheus didn’t belong to illuminati,he wanted to enlighten the world …

We may encounter art we don’t like,the conflation of art with its purposes is always a difficult issue to examine …

Generations of writers,philosophers & political revolutionaries have been inspired by Titan Prometheus’ story of rebellion.In contemporary times,Prometheus has become a symbol for Progress in Science and Technology.

Titans in the hands of artists & the story of the canal-side bronze & concrete sculpture,Prometheus,by Vassil Simittchiev – 1995 – dimensions 215 x 90 x 92 cm –

I noticed some graffiti art on his pyramidical head and remembered Banksy’s quote:“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” …

 

The ice on the canals had started thawing and flowing my thoughts down into Kattegatt,in the North Sea … The Lapis Blue Ice on Stora Hamnkanalen was slowly moving and the Tower of Tyska Church,or Christina Church,was impossingly soaring skywards to catch the evening light before the nightfall.

Fishermen statues ouside the big Feskekôrka (fishmarket) of the town were treating visitors and dogs and taught the art of Love & Friendship …

 

 

Some tropical plants,birds and other creatures were enjoying the warmth of the Botanical Garden completely unaware of the iced city outdoors.

 

 

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People in an alley in Haga uprooted the frozen flowers and planted some fresh ones.They also decorated the poles with coloured fancy feathers to wave to Spring and remind Her that She had completely forgotten their part of the world.

I found them very smart Semaphores …

 

 

Seasons can be quite different depending on where we live;
although March had almost ended,spring in the Nordics was heavy winter.It seems the sun got out of bed on the wrong side this spring,he confused directions and he didn’t know where he should move and where to stay.It is summer in the middle of spring,in my country.Oh,how beautiful the frozen canals were …

The bare “spring” branches outside a church were drawing on the moody canvas of the sky while the Peace Flame in the church was warming every corner of the Globe …

 

 

The Promethean Spark through Art,Science,or Religion,refers to the Human Soul,Divine Ambition and anything Enlightening that we share with others to Elevate our beautiful World.

 

 I left the Inextinguishable “Promethean Spark” and the “Peace Flame” burning  and imparting Knowledge and  Warmth …

One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.Henry Miller

 

Off  to start slowly moving through the WordPress Gears again …

 

 

 

The Art of Life through brushstrokes …

 

“Young Girls in a Mediterranean Landscape” c 1907-1910

Henri Lebasque 1865-1937

From the permanent display of the Batliner Collection at Albertina, Vienna.

 

Life is Beautiful Above and Under the Water …

as seen in the American Museum of Natural History

 

♥ Thank you so much for your kind visits ♥

Back with you after my Easter Holidays  ♥

 

☼ இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—…இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ— 🌻🌻🌻 இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—…இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ— 🌻🌻🌻☼

 

When the Gregorian & Julian Calendar don’t Align …

 

*Easter 2018 in the Gregorian calendar is on Sunday, April 1, and,in the Julian calendar on Sunday, April 8.

** Passover (Pesach) begins at sundown on Friday, March 30, 2018 and ends at sundown on Saturday, April 7, 2018.

*** Confused ? Me too ; so many Easters & different aspects of Faith about the celebration of Life and Love.The spiritual force of faith is activated only by love and unites the natural with the ethereal world,the name makes no difference at all.Easter is an archetypal spring celebration in all cultures.It signifies new life.

For Greeks,Easter is the biggest religious holiday of the year.Many of the celebrations have roots to pre-Christian times.The Eleusinian Mysteries in ancient Greece were also a celebration of rebirth after death.In winter everything dies and is reborn in spring again.

Today in  Greece,Easter celebrations have a direct connection with the Eastern Orthodox Church and the arrival of Spring.Being near Nature or in some old monasteries and churches,I tend to redifine myself and reflect on the anthropology of religion.It makes me feel closer to the path of the return to being,to the Universe of Light and beyond the Physical Realm and the Twelve Dimensions … .

There are some retreats for the soul,where you discover the Esoteric Path and the Road towards Completeness.

The road to the highest parts of Heaven is long,but not tiring,the soul by its nature desires to Live inside the Light …

The old Patmos Bells Under the Splendour of the Empyrean are ready to transmit the Glory of Easter.Their Sound will Resonate over Humanity …

 

Bells above the Holy Cave of the Apocalypse,the Cave of the Revelation,where John of Patmos received his visions that he recorded in the Book of Revelation.A point of reference not only of Patmos,but of Christianity worldwide.

In 1999,the Cave along with the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian,founded in the late 10th century,were declared a World Heritage Cultural Site by UNESCO.

Here the monks live in peace and pray for love,health and happiness for all human beings under the cerulean Empyrean,the highest part of heaven,where the soul is a step closer to the Divine.

Pilgrims from all over the world,regardless of their religion,swarm into the monastery to seek the spirit of the faith and their heavenly destiny.

Atheists,,heretics,sceptics,agnostics,free thinkers,nihilists,or pilgrims seeking Τω Αγνώστω Θεώ,the “unknown God”,they all find peace as soon as they get inside these Holy grounds.

Easter nears,time to be at peace with our thoughts in our own temples ; to reflect on the Infinite in Nature,in Man,and in the Self …

Here is The Nea Moni (New Monastery),another spiritual retreat, on the Provateio Oros (mountain) in the island of Chios.

 

Ascending to the Empyrean …

Mosaics beneath a man-made Empyrean from the Golden Age of Byzantine Art.The mosaics of the Nea Moni (New Monastery) date back to the 11th century.They are among the finest examples of “Macedonian Renaissance” Art and one of the three remaining collections of the mid-Byzantine period,left in Greece.

The golden background occupies a large portion of the surface and as the light reflects on it,it enhances the transcendency of the depictions to a supreme,spiritual world.

The Monastery is listed in the monuments protected by UNESCO’s World Heritage.

The flowers in the surrounding area of the monastery are also ready to celebrate Easter.Spring has arrived and Nature has built her own Temples.What a great blessing!

Here is a Greek Orthodox Church in a Mastic village of Chios.

Koimisis Theotokou is a church in the Greek island of Chios,in Pyrgi medieval village,known as the “painted village” because of the decorative motifs on the facades of churches and houses.Most elaborate facades with fantastic geometrical patterns and mathematical motifs.

The Daffodil Golden Harvest outside the church shines like the Gold Icons inside.

 

Nearby,there is a flowered field bathed in magical,bluish light.

It reminds me of another old,historical church,a Cathedral in my second home,where I feel the same awe.

Dublin’s oldest building,a place of pilgrimage for almost 1,000 years.Its origins date to about 1038 when the Viking settlers constructed a cathedral on this site.

Christ Church Cathedral or The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
Dublin – Ireland – founded in 1030 & rebuilt from 1172.

In the monastery gardens,a beautiful peacock is gathering flowers to celebrate Easter.

The old Byzantine Monastery in Preveli of the island of Crete and the spring flowers in its back yard,are ready to glorify Easter too.

 Divine Illumination from a Cretan Monastery

The Golden Age of the Byzantine Empire in the Monastery of Preveli  and 10-century-old Heirlooms of Faith …

 

Looking at Easter from a diffenent angle & wishing you a Happy Easter & a Joyous Spring Season.

 

* Soon with you to enjoy your recent posts ; post & run? No, it is not me …

 *Easter Love to all of you ♥

 

 

 

 

Bridge of Sighs – Cambridge University

You Crossed the Rainbow Arch to get Access to Heaven & to the Stars … I hope you got some answers today, 14 March 2018 …

“My goal is simple.It is a Complete Understanding of the Universe,why it is as it is and why it exists at all.” Stephen Hawking (1942-2018)

The colours of the River Cam are dark today,sadly it flows,it reflects mournful  shades and shadows.

Godspeed Stephen Hawking — R.I.P. —

Your Real Journey to Infinity has just started … 14 March 2018

For the Man who Demystified the Stars (1942-2018)

* Stephen Hawking was born January 8, 1942, on the 300th anniversary of Galileo’s death.

* He died today, March 14th 2018, on the anniversary of Einstein’s birth.

—- Time is Circular – No Beginning, No End —–

 

—- Time is Circular – No Beginning, No End —-

No Comment

Pause – Honour – Mourn silently – Reflect …

 

For the Man who Demystified the Stars (1942-2018)

 

 

Futuristic Architecture at Marina Bay Sands was Manipulating the Hierachy of Space.Such Great Heights!

 

Cold Europe and Maniac Storms during the festive season gave us the chance to enjoy some warm days in Singapore,in the north of the Equator,and in the exotic island of Bali in Indonesia,in far Southeast Asia-Southern Hemisphere,only a few degrees of latitude below the Equator.

According to the lunisolar Hindu and to Hindu scriptures,there are six seasons in a year,each one two months long,and people use them to structure their lives around the year and to organise important Hindu festivals and religious ceremonies.

The winter season,Shita Ritu,begins on Dec. 21 and ends on Feb. 18. with average temperatures 26°C – 33°C just enough to enjoy swimming and get fantastic views over the Indian Ocean.

Private Indulgence under “Tedung” Ritual Beach Umbrellas at Nusa Dua Holiday Resorts.Indonesians preserve their Hindu-Buddhist Heritage even at the beach with coloured umbrellas resembling the Sacred Pajeng or Tedung which adorns Temples and graces family Shrines during religious festivals & other ceremonial occasions.

“Tedung”,the Balinese Sacred Umbrella,literally means “to guard”,and they believe it wards off bad spirits and brings good luck.Umbrellas & Colours in the Hindu-Buddhist World are Symbols,& every colour of Tedung has meaning.If you put them together they symbolise the “Balance of the Universe … ”
The hanging capiz shell from each tip was melodically dangling and pleasantly mingling with the soft sounds of the ocean …

The only winter sign we saw,was a cute snowman at the airport of Bali welcoming holiday visitors.

I wiil try to squeeze some of my travel experiences in one post as I usually post once in a Blue Moon so as to have enough spare time to visit my favouite WP bloggers & friends & enjoy their work,which I really miss.

Singapore Skyline and the last 2017 glittering lights and views over the city from the Sands Skypark Observation Deck.Although Singapore is one of the most densely populated regions in the world,with nearly six million people living on just 700 square kilometres,the city-state has earned the nickname “City in a Garden” thanks to its considerable areas of green space.

The SuperTree Grove and the trip up to the Skywalk – the bridge that connects two of the tallest SuperTrees and gives a bird’s-eye view over the entire park – are totally fascinating.

Soon 2017 was past.Singapore welcomed the New Year with flamboyant light shows and celebratory events.

The very next day,early in the morning,I found myself surfing the clouds and making dreams for 2018.

The SkyPark floats atop the 3 – soaring Marina Bay Sands Hotel Towers and looks like a surfboard or spaceship docking on a tripod.On top you literally feel you stand amongst the clouds.SkyPark is a roof like no other,perched 200 metres in the air with an infinity pool and an observation deck in the clouds which offers you unobstructed 360-degree views of the Singapore skyline.It’s a remarkable feat of engineering designed by visionary Moshe Safdie architects.The giant,gravity-defying platform,is one of the largest in the world,large enough to park four A380 Jumbo Jets.It also houses lush gardens,top-notch restaurants and an exclusive,infinity-edge swimming pool with a legendary view.The 150-metre pool,the world’s largest elevated body of water outdoors,has been designed with a vanishing edge.It is as if there is nothing between the swimmer and the skyscrapers in front.After experiencing “Heaven” on SkyPark,you can descend to “Earth” where a world of shopping,dining and entertainment attractions awaits you at the rest of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort.The complex resort,which opened in 2010,includes a 2,561-room hotel, a huge convention-exhibition centre,the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Mall,a museum,two large theatres, restaurants,two floating Crystal Pavilions,a skating rink, and the world’s largest Atrium Casino.

I was Enjoying it while considering the Complexity of Applying Aesthetics & Functional Utilitity in Architecture,and the Relationship between Human beings & the Frenetic technological progress ….

“A line is length without breadth … ”
“There is no royal road to geometry … “

“Ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι, ὅπερ ἔδει ποιῆσαι.Καὶ τὸ ὅλον τοῦ μέρους μεῖζον ἐστιν … ” in other words :

“Proved,done.And the Whole is Greater than the Part … ” Euclid 325 B.C. – 270 B.C. Greek mathematician-father of geometry.Thoughts for the lovers of accurate reasoning and mathematical learning ….

“The welcoming hand of Singapore ” sculpture,the Lotus Flower ArtScience Iconic Museum had its white petals open.

It’s the most Environmentally-Sensitive museum over-the-top Marina Bay Sands Resort,a Dynamic Interplay between Arts & Sciences.It was designed by the renowned architect Moshe Safdie while its asymmetrical structure was conceived by ARUP,a constructive firm (SHAPING a Better World),founded 70 years ago,by Sir Ove Arup,an English engineer.Its design does look like the aquatic Lotus flower and collects Rain and Light as if it were real and wanted to stay alive.

It is structured into two major parts.The base of the ArtScience Museum,embedded in the earth and surrounded by the Bay’s water and a giant lily pond,and a flower-like steel structure made of 10 petals,which floats above the landscaped pond base.The petals,or fingers as some refer to them,rise towards the sky and each one of them is crowned by a skylight which draws in daylight penetrating the base and illuminating the galleries within.Its dish-like roof collects rainwater and drains it through an oculus,creating a waterfall through the centre of the museum and then flows into an interior reflective pond.It’s really great inside and outside.Visitors enter the musem through a free-standing glass pavillion and large lifts and escalators convey them to the lower and upper galleries.The 6,000 square metres museum & cultural centre welcomed its first visitors in 2011.Sheldon Adelson,chairman of Las Vegas Sands Corporation, which developed Marina Bay Sands,named it :”The Welcoming Hand of Singapore”

Great architects,designers,planners,engineers & technical specialists inspired by nature & turning daring concepts into architectural wonders …

Various Forms of Life & Sea Anemones ..

Colourful Coral Reefs & Sea Anemones through a Window to the “Open Ocean”,and Silvertip Sharks chasing Nemo and Marlin …

Exploring the World under the Warm Sea in Sentosa Island

S.E.A. Aquarium in Sentosa Island is always Warm & Life from the Marine Park is bursting with bright colours.It’s one of the largest oceanariums in the world with 100,000 marine animals of over 800 species in 49 habitats.The centrpiece of the Aquarium is the “Open Ocean” tank with more than 50,000 aquatic animals and strange photogenic creatures.More than 100 sharks,from silvertip,sandbar & the endangered,strange-looking scalloped hammerhead,swim above your head in a massive habitat.It feels as if you are underwater with sharks swimming all around you.

Finding Nemo … ?
The most famous reef-dwellers & movie stars Nemo,Merlin & Dory braved the “Sea Beasts”,they were briskly swimming & circling around Sea Anemones in the warm waters of my collage-habitat …

And,strolling around in ethnic neighbourhoods.

Chinatown’s heritage was spectacularly displayed in every corner.Wonderful buildings,restaurants,wine bars,boutique hotels and shops.

However,our real summer holidays started in Bali where all was beautifully different and in absolute Harmony with Nature.

Sublime Hindou Temples,Shrines,serene Sanctuaries for Meditation and wonderful holiday resorts with sandy beaches sitting on the active Ring of Fire.

We explored the island with Mr Gede;a lovely,kind,friendly and genuine guide,captured next to a bunch of Bromeliads.

He speaks perfect English and his Greek is better than mine (self-taught & he has never visited Greece) … Isn’t it unbelievable ?Om,that must be the Xenoglossy or xenoglossia,or xenolalia putative paranormal phenomenon,I thought.

Respect to a nation that still preserves its Hindu-Buddhist Heritage with deep faith and fervour.

In the lobby of Ayodya Resort there was an alter decorated with stone & wood carvings depicting gods,demons,creatures & characters from the mythology of Bali.Lighting a Diya(oil lamp) in the “Island of Gods” & burning Incense as an Offering makes your soul feel purified,cleansed of bad thoughts & negative influences.There is a duality in nature,high and low,right and left,day and night,clean and unclean and especially good and evil.It is the Yin and Yang of life and humans are caught between those opposing forces …

But who is this elephant headed deity with the large rotund belly holding fruit and sweets ? It is Ganesh(a),one of the best known and loved deities in the Hindu Pantheon of Gods.He is the King of the Spirits,the Lord of Learning and Remover of both Material and Spiritual Obstacles.The elephant’s head symbolises unmatched wisdom and the gaining of knowledge through reflection.
Interestingly,he also places obstacles in the path of those who need to be checked…Before you ask Ganesha for his favour,you must offer him your respect and reverence along with sweet smelling fragrances such as incense or fresh flowers.However,no Balinese ceremony would be complete without Tedung.The satin Balinese Ritual Umbrellas were shining in the lobby and were in alignment and orientated towards Gunung Agung,the sacred mountain in Bali.The Yellow colour & the White symbolise the dedication to the Hindu religion …

Here is Gunung Agung,the half asleep sacred giant,as seen early in the morning.

Scientists say that the fiery Bali volcano may slow global warming for 1-2 years.Volcanoes emit carbon dioxide,which traps heat,but they also spray out ash particles and gases such as sulfur dioxide,which form compounds that reflect sunlight, and therefore cool the planet.

The sea was inviting,the warm sand received and reflected the light and played with the gentle waves.

Kuta Beach on the western side of the island’s narrow isthmus was almost crowded.Once,it was a quiet fishing village,now,a popular surfing spot in the Indian ocean with consistent waves.

Our next visit would be to the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud and to Alas Kedaton Monkey Forest and Sanctuary to see the grey long-tailed Macaques who are considered sacred.

We found them upset,they had an urgent assembly after the gripping news on the 25th of Jan.2018.

Is it Ethical to Clone us … ?

Lots of monkeys at the sanctuary,their natural habitat,where they walk along paved pathways,swing through the trees and sit around beautiful ancient temples with guardian statues covered in moss.

Watching their actions,you find human nature in them.Striking the behavioural similarities,they seem to be our closest living evolutionary relatives …Wonder how the newly born – the cloned ones- feel.We could ask Dolly the sheep,the first mammal to be cloned in Edinburgh,July 5, 1996,but she died young,14 February 2003.Poor little Dolly …

Softly,softly, little catchee monkey … Don’t you worry baby,Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua will soon come by and play with you.I bought some rattles the other day,you’ll have lots of fun together and make them feel happy outside the incubator in the laboratory ..

Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are and how they feel ?Still think Humans are the most Intelligent Animals & use their intelligence for good?

Two identical long-tailed Macaques – named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua – were born at a laboratory in China.

Cognitive Science says Human Intelligence may not be so Human after all …

Here is a gentle Sumatran Giant at Bali’s dedicated elepnant rescue reserve receiving a thank you leaf-treat for the safari through the cool Taro jungle.

https://www.masonadventures.com/elephant-park/

Tanah Lot,Water Temple

 Tanah Lot Temple is one of Bali’s most important landmarks,famed for its unique offshore setting.An ancient Hindu shrine perched on top of an outcrop amidst constantly crashing waves.The temple is located in the Beraban village of the Tabanan regency,20km northwest of Kuta.

Tiered Pagodas Of Pura Ulun Danu Bratan Temple 

 Pura Bratan * Shavite Water Temple in Bali’s central highlands on Lake Bratan with a misty  view over the mountain range in the backdrop. * Shaivism is one of the major traditions in Hinduism that reveres Shiva as the Supreme Being or its metaphysical concept of Brahman.And,Naga by the lake.In Hinduism Naga means deity and  it is  associated with water.It is usually depicted as a crowned,giant, magical serpant.

Performers getting ready for Barong dance.

 Balinese Barong dance and drama in  Kuta

It represents the enernal fight between the good and evil spirit. Barong is the symbol of goodness and Ranga of evil.Both figures engage in an endless battle,but  they are unable to knock each other down.The eternal struggle that has a philosophy in life.It is the Yin & Yang,humans are caught between those opposing forces …

Here is an exotic,tropical flowering plant for my WP friends,a showy Heliconia  Hanging Lobster Claw or False Bird Of Paradise.

(Heliconia, derived from the Greek word Ἑλικώνιος) .Heliconia is named after Mount Helicon,the seat of the Muses,the nine goddesses of the arts and sciences in Greek mythology.

And,last but not least,a reflective shrine in Gunung Kawi at the bottom of a lush green river valley,one of Bali’s oldest and largest ancient monuments,with 10 candi (shrines).

Respect to a nation that still preserves its Hindu-Buddhist Heritage with deep faith and fervour.

 

Besides,different creeds are but different paths to reach the same God …

 

 

彡★彡 Happy New Year to everyone 彡★彡

 

 

 

Flying Here,There,Everywhere & Collecting Christmas Stars to put them in my heart & send you my best wishes …

 

Ice Skating In NYC with Prometheus & Getting in the Mood of Christmas & Winter.

The Rink At Rockefeller Center,one of the most famous Ice Rinks in the World & New York City’s most celebrated attraction in the heart of Midtown,steps from Times Square & the Theater District.Despite the icy rink all was heartwarming in here,it was Love & Prometheus Flame that kept it warm …

” I believe that Love is the greatest thing in the World; that it alone can overcome hate; that right can and will triumph over might.” John D. Rockefeller

Timeless quotes conveying strong messages especially during this very special Season …

 

PROMETHEUS (1934)
Paul Manship American sculptor 1885 – 1966

Prometheus gilded statue in Rockefeller Center by the famous American sculptor Paul Manship depicts the Greek Titan who went against the wishes of the Gods and provided fire to humanity for civilization and progress.Over time,this classical figure came to represent human striving and the quest for knowledge.Prometheus played a large role in the approach to the art and architecture in the Complex since the overall theme of the project was :

“New Frontiers and the March of Civilization.”

The inscription that accompanies the sculpture,taken from the sixth-century B.C. Greek dramatist Aeschylus reads:

“Prometheus, teacher in every art, brought the fire that hath proved to mortals a means to mighty ends.”

Wherever I go,Greece goes on travelling, always travelling with me … I thought.

I wanted to see more as “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” said Benjamin Franklin and visions of future glory always tantalize me …

 

Comcast Building entrance in the Rockefeller Centre Biblical Verse above the Entrance reads :

“WISDOM & KNOWLEDGE SHALL BE THE STABILITY OF THY TIMES …

 And,Flying Here,There & Everywhere … From the other side of the Atlantic Ocean I peacefully landed with Her on the ground of the main Atrium of Kelvingrove.

 

She is a brave fighter,a classic WW II Supermarine Spitfire in a rather unusual position of being on the ground,rather than in the air.Kelvingrove Galley & Museum opened in 1901 as the Palace of Fine Arts in the Glasgow International Exhibition and it is the most visited museum in the United Kingdom outside of London.It houses an eclectic mix of world-class fine art exhibits,archeological artifacts & natural history displays.I wish I could see All Fighters Frozen in mid-flight for Ever & Peace within & among all people & nations on Earth. … ♥ 彡★彡

I felt like having more Glaswegian “spirit”,in an old pub this time.The Scotia Pub was very near.My Scottish friends say that if it’s character and charm you’re after,you won’t find better than the Scotia,Glasgow’s oldest pub.It keeps customers happy since 1792.

彡★彡 Alba gu brath! … Scotland Forever … 彡★彡

 

Cheers to you from Glasgow’s oldest pub with a glass of Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky straight from the Deanston Distillery …

 

 

The Christmassy white Orchids in the hotel were beautiful and the Strands of Fairy Lights in the streets & stores of Glasgow were beckoning me,the market skipped higher with glamorous Christmas lights to full blown in a dazzling array to bring a smile and spark of holiday magic into people’s hearts who gleefully anticipated the Cristmastide.

I left the festal glory and the ritzy glowing lights behind me and kept seeking the Oldest Star in the night sky to give me the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven where Unseen Angels pour Blessings and Joy.

I ,like Nelly Sachs, wonder who knows where the stars stand
in the Creator’s Hierarchy of Glory and where Peace begins;
where a space has been left for a heart to pound …
In the beginning is yearning,the heart always has room for more,for something more beautiful,greater ;that is Man’s greatness and need; yearning for silence,for friendship and love.And where yearning is stilled,it starts up even stronger …

A Loving,Caring Heart is like a Sky that pours Light … The pure white orchids were magically interspersed with sparks and festal glory but my heart led me to Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum.The Organ was playing ♩♪♫♬ ..”You will Never Walk Alone”

 

I let the Meteor Shower from the Constellation Ursa Minor fall down,hung my Christmas Star & send you my best wishes …

 ♥ Mery Christmas to All of You who celebrate the Nativity of Christ & Love & Peace to Everyone ♥

彡★彡There is no Religion without Love … ♥ We all have a bright Star in us … 彡★彡

“Oh, ’tis Love, ’tis Love that makes the World go round.”L.Carroll

 

Goma,Gallery of Modern Art,and the Golden Christmas Mesh,were part of Heaven that Night.

 

All was quiet in Royal Exchange Square.Beautiful the neoclassical and historical mansion and the portico with the magnificent row of the huge Corinthian Columns.The bronze equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington was imposingly standing in front of the building.It’s Baron Marochetti’s work unveiled in 1844 before a large number of Waterloo veterans.

PS:Traffic Cones are firmly placed on the head of the Duke of Wellington and on the head of the horse.Is it because the equestrian statue stands outside the Gallery of Modern Art …? Let the locals speak …,it’s a Glasgow affair that started around 30-40 years ago …

And,last but not least,my Little Present for You to Toast The New Year.

 

 

I bought it from the Corinthian Club,Glasgow’s most iconic and visually stunning venue,a five floor entertainment complex with long history behind.I wrapped it in a resplendent History paper and offer it to you …

It stands on the site of the renowned 18th century Virginia Mansion,famed as being one of the finest private residences in Glasgow.The location itself is historic and symbolizes the social and commercial development of Glasgow in the 18th and 19th centuries.It’s one of the city’s most elaborate and richly decorated buildings,embellished over many decades by highly acclaimed architects.In 1920 it was converted into judiciary courts,one of the UK’s finest Victorian interiors,but many of its features were hidden from public view behind false walls and ceilings.In 1999 it was painstakingly restored as The Corinthian.Details such as the Doric pilastrade,elaborate cornicing,26 foot glass dome,superb sculptural plasterwork,free standing classical figures,fixtures and fittings remain as impressive and spectacular as they were in the 1800s.In 2010,after being extensively refurbished,it opened its doors once again as “The Corinthian Club”.
The iconic Corinthian dome remains a focal point,located directly above Teller’s Bar and Brasserie,a space which was once the route to the court cells.

** Well,Clio and her sisters always come down from mountain Helicon and follow me … ; its Ancient Greek name “Corinthian” prompted me,I allured you with champagne in order to talk about the Glaswegian gem.

 

When the Clock Strikes 12 on New Year’s Eve …

Wherever I am,I’ll be Singing for You “Auld Lang Syne”

May your New Year’s Eve ring with laughter and cheer!

 

 

 

 

Nature & Art Heals Body & Mind …

 

 

Nature’s Secrets & Garden Life

Hidden Treasures & the Story of the Potter Wasp in the Garden

 

 

Our painter was the Archaeologist & me,the Curator of a museum with potteryware.Of course,we never painted the wooden door underneath …

She was diligently and silently working under the wooden door next to the garden,but we had never taken notice of her.I had seen her feeding on floral nectar and drinking water,she is a great pollinator too.Who could have imagined what she was up to?Once,she was under the barbeque shed and near a Black Hole ready to get into her private appartment.I had then checked out the barbeque space and it all seemed as if the great Pollinator & Potter were on the Red Planet.

 

 

But,the great Nest Builder had other plans,she had decided to decorate our wooden door with a whole series of pots in a row,to show off her amazing skills and techniques.Superb structures!Don’t they look like ancient Amphoras?

 

 

It’s said that their nests of mud,strengthened with their saliva,have therapeutic properties for skin infections,rashes & other diseases.

We all know about folk medicine which had been used for thousands of years before drug companies and industrial,synthetic medicine took over.

Art by Friendly,Harmless Insects in the garden,who happily buzz and collect mud to build their “amphoras” in sheltered spots.There’s room in the garden for every Flower and Insect.

And,while Ms Potter was silently working,Hermes and I were collecting Rose Hips from our Dog Rose to make herbal infusions and jam.

 

 

 

 

Once we finished,I brought out a blue platter to put our rose hips on and asked Hermes to sit on his favourite garden table,which is made of Lava from the Stratovolcano of Mount Etna and it’s painted by an Italian artist.In the meantime, I was thinking of blending the rose hips with some Claude Monet rose petals I had collected from a painting in Albertina – Museum in Vienna.They would perfectly mix together and make our jam sophisticated …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The compound I had imagined was ready and made Hermes and me gratified in the retreat of the soul,in our garden,where we commune with nature and observe her wonders.

 

I love mixing and correlating the state of affairs to make life beautiful, in and outside the garden.

 

 

 

 

 

“Gravity & Growth ” &  the Euro Sign Sculpture with the shining Stars …

Art & the story of the Blue & Gold structure under the Temples of Plutolatry in times of austerity …

 

“The story of the “Magic Money Tree” named “Gravity and Growth” by the Italian artist Giuseppe Penone who is one of the leading representatives of the “Arte Povera” movement.

 

Gravity and Growth is a sculpture made of bronze and granite with a cluster of gilded leaves.It measures 17.5 metres in height and it is soaring above real chestnut trees at the entrance to the ECB headquarters.It is not about decorating the headquarters,it is about helping the cultural world.Giuseppe Penone’s tree conveys a sense of stability and growth and it is rooted in the Humanist Values of Europe.Some try to keep it Upright and some others to see it Prone …

Apart from the gilded leaves there is a ball lodged amongst the barren upper branches,but who is going to start the ball rolling with the hot EU issues?

You can collect some gold leaves now, before it’s too late … I have also collected some seeds,I am just looking for fertile soil to cultivate the species.I might place the seeds under the Golden Stars to help them grow faster…

So much gold and art works in times of austerity …

 

 

The Blue and Gold structure with the shining Stars …

E C B & the Euro Sign Sculpture

 

Counting Golden Stars & Gold Ingots in the “Magic Money Tree”,a bit further down the Gigantic Eurotowers,as I was thinking of the uncertain future of the institution.There were some black ominous clouds above,but I removed them in order to write the story under blue skies.

I craned my nake up to capture its entirety,it looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa,the “Campanile”,which the architect intended to stand straight and tall,but the foundation was poorly laid,and soon began to lean …

 

 

German artist Ottmar Hörl made the sculpture to symbolise a unified euro at a time when the currency was still in its infancy … A spokesperson for the ECB said that the sculpture’s fate lies with the culture committee and not with the bank.Thoughts outside the ECB’s headquarters,the New ECB Premises,previously resided in the Eurotower.

Soon,escorted,I’d be “elevated” towards higher levels,from where I could clearly read Homer in the “Iron Bridge” & forget the Temples of Plutolatry in times of austerity …

 

 

 

Homer in Frankfurt am Main

 

«ΠΛΕΩΝ ΕΠΙ ΟΙΝΟΠΑ ΠΟΝΤΟΝ ΕΠ ΑΛΛΟΘΡΟΟΥΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥΣ»

Crossing the Eiserner Steg ( Iron Bridge ) over the River Main and reading Homer as there is an inscription written in ancient Greek,which reads :

«ΠΛΕΩΝ ΕΠΙ ΟΙΝΟΠΑ ΠΟΝΤΟΝ ΕΠ ΑΛΛΟΘΡΟΟΥΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥΣ»

It is a quote from Homer’s Odyssey,taken from book I line 183, (Rhapsody a ) when Athena goes to Ithaka disguised as Mentes.

«Μέντης Ἀγχιάλοιο δαΐφρονος εὔχομαι εἶναι
υἱός, ἀτὰρ Ταφίοισι φιληρέτμοισιν ἀνάσσω.
νῦν δ᾽ ὧδε ξὺν νηὶ κατήλυθον ἠδ᾽ ἑτάροισιν
πλέων ἐπὶ οἴνοπα πόντον ἐπ᾽ ἀλλοθρόους ἀνθρώπους».In Modern Greek : « μὲ πλοῖο μου στὰ μέρη αὐτὰ καὶ μὲ συντρόφους ἦρθα τὰ πέλαγ’ ἀρμενίζοντας πρὸς τοὺς ξενογλωσσῖτες … πλέοντας στο μπλαβό πέλαγος πηγαίνοντας σε αλλόγλωσσους ανθρώπους».Translated into English it reads :

« With Ship and Crew Sailing over the Wine-dark Sea to Men of Strange Speech »

It is obviously meant to symbolise the desire of humanity to cross waters and meet people from all different cultures and languages.Civilisations & Cultures should not stop at the borders …

Well,«ΠΛΕΩΝ ΕΠΙ ΟΙΝΟΠΑ ΠΟΝΤΟΝ ΕΠ ΑΛΛΟΘΡΟΟΥΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥΣ»,I remembered  J.R.R. Tolkien’s words “Home is behind,the World ahead “,crossed the Iron Bridge and headed for the Avant – Garde Euro Towers.

Opern Turm & The Three Keys …

 

 

I’ve recently read that UBS picks Frankfurt over London …

I don’t know if UBS seeks to establish itself as a rival financial hub to London following Brexit ; the only thing I know is that you’re dwarfed at the outside,you have to crane your neck up to see the giant in its entirety and to discern its three – keys logo,which was adopted in 1937 and stands for confidence, security, and discretion.OpernTurm (Opera Tower) is a 43-storey 170 m (560 ft) Tower Block opposite Alte Oper (Old Opera).

 

The old and the new supporting each other and showing the evolution of the world in all aspects.Have a look at the next photo to see the wonderful mansion of Renaissance architecture and to read the inscription on the frieze,which reads:

“Dem Wahren, Schönen, Guten”, “To the True, the Beautiful, the Good” …

 

 

Alte Oper (Old Opera) mansion of Renaissance architecture loftily standing opposite the giant with the many storeys and the symmetrical boxes where plutolatry prevails … It was destroyed in a 1944 air raid,rebuilt in 1964-81 and was renamed the ‘Old Opera Concert and Conference Centre.

“Dem Wahren, Schönen, Guten”, or “To the True, the Beautiful, the Good” …

Nevertheless,”Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis”
“Times change,and we change with them” ; wise was Heraclitus’ axiom ” Πάντα ῥεῖ “, “everything is in a state of flux” ( Everything flows … ).The Main River was flowing too,and Frankfurt am Main,an Alpha World City,was counting  its riches.

 

 

 

 

The Blue Sheep were happily grazing

 

Have You Ever Herded Blue Sheep in a big city ?

No,they are not genetically engineered,they are not lawn mowers.It’s “Ovine Art” created by the German artists Rainer Bonk and Bertamaria Reetz and they are nourished only by interest,curiosity and the amuzed gaze of onlookers.

The Unusual Plastic Flock of Sheep,painted head-to-toe in dark blue paint,has been touring the globe for years now.You can see Blue Sheep in cities,towns,in fields or parks to promote “Tolerance and Solidarity” and to represent “Team Spirit” & “Tolerant Interaction”. A Blue Sheep is left behind in each city they visit where it remains as a Peace Ambassador.Every sheep is indistinguishable from the next as the artists want to convey the peaceful message that “All are Equal & Everyone is Important”.

 

And in the Städel Museum,the German visual artist,Corinne Wasmuht exhibits her Contemporary Art  painting “Barrier”, 2008.

 

 

 

What do you see when your eyes are closed? Our inner imagery consists of flickering remnants of perception, an ocean of fleeting impressions and particles of memory. They bob up to the reservoir’s surface and sink back down again in a sequence as illogical as that of a dream. In her paintings, Corinne Wasmuht pursues the paths of these inner images. She interlocks temporally and spatially separate visual finds, surpassing early modern art by dissolving the unity of time, space and perspective in the manner of multiple photographic exposures. Confusing pictorial cascades are the result, bearing a strong connection to the urban space and its powerful optical stimuli.

In “Barrier”, 2008, the artist processes photos of the Forbidden City in Beijing along with other – non-identifiable – visual sources. Abstract and representational fragments annihilate one another; two-dimensional areas alternate with strongly receding ones. At the same time, the painting seems to be moving weightlessly at the speed of light.

 © Corinne Wasmuht

 

Exploring Everything & Keeping the Best

 

“To the True, the Beautiful, the Good” & with little interest in Philistinism …

 

 

 

 

The Story of ” She Lies” with the Shape of an Iceberg due to the Global Warming … Archimedes’ Principle won’t help Rising Seas …

 

A post For the Earth’s Future & the Struggles of Nature to reject any Man’s Intrusion in the Sea of Ice and in any Other Corner of our Planet …

 

 

Monica Bonvicini’s – “She Lies”,a symbol of Power & Magnificence in the North,is a monumental sculpture,in the fjord in front of the new Opera House in Oslo,built out of stainless steel and glass panels that measure approximately 12 x 17 x 16 m. It is a permanent installation,floating on the water in the fjord on a concrete platform which is 12 metres above the water surface.By turning around its own axis in correspondence to the tides and the wind it offers changing views through the reflections on the mirrored and semitransparent surfaces.

 

“She Lies” was commissioned by Public Art Norway – KORO,
Norwegian National Opera & Ballet and it represents in a visual striking way the shape of an iceberg,as if one would have, by circumstances due to the Global Warming,ended up in the fjord in front of the Opera House.She Lies is meant to be a monument about change,longing and hope.

*Bonvicini’s sculpture is a three dimensional interpretation of Caspar David Friedrich’s painting “Das Eismeer” 1823-24 (The Sea of Ice ) *

 

 

Helena was equally beautiful,she was about to set off her journey,to give joy to the travellers and tourists.

 

Further down on the shore of the fjord the harmony of the sceneries reminded me that Nature is a Temple.

 

Here high in air,unconscious of the storm,Nature rears its mystic form.
From Earth to Heaven,unwrought by mortal toil,charm after charm,sun-bright avenues,and green recesses transmuted by her wand.

In earth,sea,air,around,below,above,life’s subtle in Nature’s loom,solar beams wave back and forth,up and down over woods,green lawns,and sparkling streams;beauty’s fine forms attract the eyes,I wonder who changes your acts,dear Mother Nature …

Charm the listening Savage into Man …

 

 

And in Museums and Galleries,great artists’paintigs forebode the future,prophesies are intricately painted on their works … ;

“Time shall be no More … “

Arne Ekeland’s painting,”The Last Shots”,in the National Museum-National Gallery of Oslo,is monumental in both size and content.

Highly complex shapes and figures symbolizing the capitalist society that Ekeland wanted to topple.In the background lies a city in ruins, but in the foreground,among the destruction and the fallen,little children are on the verge of creating a new society …

 

Shore birds happily follow “She Lies” every day as she floats on the water in correspondence to the tides and the wind …

 

 

When the sky is overcast,”She Lies” puts on her silvery-grey apparel,she is still elegant.

 

 

Posted for the Earth’s Future & the Struggles of Nature to reject any Man’s Intrusion in the Sea of Ice and in any Other Corner of our Planet …

 

 

 

World Peace is an issue of cosmopolitan import …

 

It was on the 18th of August 2017 that down Ras Ramblas sad events wrote a tragedy again.Hearbreak and sorrow – the Angels of Numbers pensive …

I let down my guard and kept travelling unafraid.In a couple of weeks after the tragic incidents the Arch of Victory in Barcelona was welcoming visitors again.

The Arc de Triomf in the capital of Catalonia was built as the main access gate for the 1888 Barcelona World Fair.The architect Josep Vilaseca designed a monument of classical style and proportions as an allegory of Barcelona’s respect for the nations and provinces taking part in the exhibition.

Down Ras Ramblas St. people kept bringing flowers and candles for the innocent souls.

It was here , then … on a peaceful summer day that the Angels of Numbers were pensive … They started flying above the Blackboard from 1 to 2,from 2 to 3,from 3 to 4, cold chalk and sponges in their hands …
Fate was standing near them unpitied … She snatched the numbers from 1 to 2,from 2 to 3,from 3 to 4 …early … So flew the souls to their congenial place …
Here , Then souls holding hope in the midst of despair … Tearful flower petals seek warmth around the flames of the burning candles …

 

Barcelona was as beautiful as always but there was a bitter feeling in the atmosphere especially in the night.

Nevertheless,the “Magic Fountain” in the foothills of Montjuïc was illuminating the Night & Soul … Water Sculptures & Light became one with the black sky … The Golden Doric columns were alike the remaining columns of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi ; I stepped into the Light again and enjoyed the show  …

Font Màgica work of Art, Music, Water, Motion and Colour

When work on the Great Universal Exhibition of 1929 was under way, the organisers felt that it needed something nouveau …
It was then when Carles Buigas submitted his project for a colossal,daring and costly piece of work.His concept heralded the discovery of a new art,the art of light.The fountain plant has 3,000 jets shooting water in the air and creating diverse water sculptures,which are illuminated with the lighting system of 8 different colours,and dance to the sound of music.The colourful shapes of water keep dancing to classical music,they celebrate the joys of life,their performance is magical,they help people forget for a while that all is evanescent …

And,in daytime Sagrada Família is soaring skywards and towards the congenial place where the souls go.

 

Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family, is a large unfinished Roman Catholic church in Barcelona,designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí ( 1852–1926) ; Gaudí’s work on the building is part of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Sagrada Família,inspired by nature and faith,has been under construction since 1882. It’s now in the final phase,with another 11 years until completion.

The Sagrada Familia is an International centre for Spirituality which invites people of all backgrounds and Faiths to share in a sense of Life based on Love,Peace & Harmony.

Peace to Spain,Catalonia,Barcelona & Worldwide

October 1, 2017 …

 

 

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” Aether makes up the Heavens
Upper atmosphere where the Gods dwell
More dense than Air, finer than Water ” Aristotle

Escaping to the Gates of Heaven at Full Speed ;

Incurable my Wanderlust … with a sense of Beyond ,of Timelessness ,of a World with Eternal Values ….

* Free from any Electronic Chains … Giant my Wings …

 

Flying over the roof of the world …

beautiful land,beautiful turquoise waters,beautiful Greece

 

Alas,there are so many things between heaven and earth of which only the poets have dreamed. And especially above the heavens … Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Showing signs of life after my long absence from the wonderful WordPress Land as some kind Ladies and very special friends kept popping by to leave their comments on my ‘ARCHIVAL” Blog lol …

Have you ever had a cluttered and completely uncontrollable email inbox,after coming back from your holidays?That’s simply a rhetorical question to excuse my inexcusable absence.I think it’s time to reconsider my strategies and try to be more practical.Oftentimes,just a “Like”,or a very short comment can save the situation …

I usually want to read every single post extensively and enjoy all the details in the beautiful photos included,and leave verbose comments … Nevertheless,it’s absolutely impossible especially when I am holidaying … You know,Greece has a very long and hot summer and some lovely islands … And,our wondrous world has numerous places to visit and experience the “different” from every historical or cultural angle.

Here come some summer sunlit images for you to see who carried me away …

” Waves in the Light revive the Eyes …
Who carried away the blonde and sunburnt lady ?
The sea-breeze with its transparent breath … “

Myrtos’ Sapphire Blue

The Zephyr of Summer in Kefalonia

Descend to encounter the Infinite Sapphire Blue of the Ionian Sea,feel the touches of Zephyr,hear the whispers of the gentle breeze …

Let me show you  Amphitheatric Argostoli …

Amphitheatric Argostoli …

Argostoli in Kefalonia (Cephalonia),the largest of the Ionian Islands.

Amphitheatrically built with a view to Koutavos Lagoon and surrounded by mountains and forests with lush green vegetation.

Rich in history and culture,probably best known as the location of “Captain Correlli’s Mandolin” film which depicts the Island’s WWII history.Few though notice Byron Street in the city of Argostoli,they are mostly fascinated by the blue lagoon,the wetland with its rich flora and fauna.

The Great Philhellene poet Lord Byron stayed in Kefalonia for four months before joining the Greek Garrison in Mesolongi,where he died in April 1824,fighting in the Greek War of Independence.
He wrote some of his most famous poems sitting on a rock known as “The Rock of Byron”.It is situated near Kallithea,an impressive observation post facing Zakynthos (Zante).
There is an inscribed marble plaque on the rock with his words :

 

“The poet that I am, I owe to the air of Greece”. Lord Byron

Greece Remembers …

 

Here come some sponges & sea shells I collected in Crete & Kefalonia for you my WordPress friends …

Sponges & Seashells

Simple Things yield Great Pleasures … don’t they ?

 

Crete is also a beautiful island in the Aegean Sea,many the photos I could share,but little my spare time … Besides,it’s an “urgent stop over” …

I’m not a Greek in here,I’m a Cretan …

I’m not a Greek ~ I’m a Cretan …

Winds of Crete & The Clear Blue of the Aegean

“God changes his appearance every second. Blessed is the man who can recognize him in all his disguises.”

” You have your brush, you have your colours, you paint the paradise, then In you Go.” Nikos Kazantzakis ~ Zorba the Greek

 

Pure bright Colours from my Land for you my friends ♥ The setting sun added more colours to my palette …

 

Sunrays dancing on Crystal clear Waters

Sunrays dancing on Crystal clear Waters

Frolicsome beams flirting with Emerald green and Golden shades

The whole world’s soul contracted into my eyes,I collected the colours to give them back to the sky …

That’s how I learn the tongue of the poets,the tongue of the painters …

 

And, dazzling the sunsets from Myrtos Beach,as intense as the sunsets in my beloved Santorini,I’ll show you some other time;here is a solar parallax to see what I mean,to write the epilogue of my “urgent stop over” …

Solar Parallax …

Celestial Elusiveness of Heliocentric systems

Chasing Elusive Phases & Faces from the beach of Myrtos,
bountenous its Blinding Light,Hot its Melting Rays on the palm …

The Ball of Fire had a Huge Golden Halo Sacred to the Sky …

 

*Special thanks go to my dear WP friends :

Amy,Charlotte,Jet,Roslyn,Shey,Su,Sue ♥ Most of my WP followers have rightly forgotten me,I know … I remember all of you though …

 

I’ll pay some visits,leave some likes before I go again … I’ve missed all of you and all your brilliant posts ♥

♥ ♥

 

UNESCO proclaims 2016 the Aristotle Anniversary Year

January 2016 – January 2017

“Knowing oneself is the beginning of all Wisdom”

Eternal truths expressed over 20 centuries ago by the Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle (384 BCE -322 BCE)

The famous philosopher from ancient Stageira,wrote as many as 200 treatises (of which 31 survive) on all Aspects of Life and Human Existence,from Biology and Physics to Theatre,Music, Politics and Ethics,metaphysics,poetry and zoology.

Thessaloniki May 2016

The Aristotle World Congress will be the highlight of all events to be organized worldwide in 2016 for the celebration of the “Aristotle Anniversary Year”, with the support and cooperation of the Research Centre for Greek Philosophy of the Academy of Athens, of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies of the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO.

 The Congress opened with an official ceremony on May 23, 2016 followed by congress sessions that were held until May 28, 2016 in the main venue of the Aristotle University in the city of Thessaloniki as well as in ancient Stageira,the birthplace of Aristotle & in ancient Mieza, the place where the Macedonian philosopher taught Alexander the Great.

There will be Multiple International Congresses on:

“Aristotle Today -2,400 Years Anniversary 2016” held in Heidelberg, Leuven, Padua, Paris, Helsinki, Lisbon, Notre Dame (Indiana), Moscow, Córdoba and Athens.

And me,walking on the paths of Philosophy & History Aristotle 2,400 years – Thessaloniki May 2016.

If you ever take the road down to my space,you don’t have to attend any conferences or to philosophise,you can just have a lazy walk with me around Thessaloniki,”The Bride of Thermaikos” in Central Macedonia on the shore of the Thermaic Gulf.

A modern metropolis,and the second largest city in Greece,the co-capital,as we usually call it.It was first established in 316 B.C. by Kassandros and named after his wife,Thessaloniki,who was half-sister of  Alexander the Great.Thessaloniki means Victory in Thessaly.The soul of the city is everywhere around and its long history in many archaeological sites,monuments,churches and museums.

Aristotelous Square, main square of Thessaloniki, is named after the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. His statue is made of bronze by the sculptor G.Georgiadis and depicts Aristotle,wearing simple Greek chiton,sitting on marble bench with papyrus scroll in his hand.Is the theory of the Five Elements included … ? Earth,Fire,Air,Water  & Aether which is the Divine substance that makes up the heavenly spheres,the heavenly bodies,the stars and the planets.The heavenly element has perpetual circular motion …

Silent Bronze Figures …

A polymath,a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great.Together with Plato and Socrates (Plato’s teacher),Aristotle is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy.His writings were the first to create a comprehensive system of Western philosophy,encompassing morality and aesthetics,logic,science,politics and metaphysics.

No one in the history of civilisation has shaped our understanding of science and natural philosophy more than the great Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle.He exerted a profound and pervasive influence for more than two thousand years and has shaped our understanding of science and natural philosophy.

I saw the Master there of those who know,
Amid the philosophic family,
By all admired,and by all reverenced;
There Plato too I saw,and Socrates,
Who stood beside him closer than the rest … Dante,The Divine Comedy.

Tired my mind,my eyes,I need to go down to Nea Paralia right by the sea to start another journey …

I won’t miss the White Tower,I will come by later on

Morning promenade when the city is still half asleep

taking a promenade before boarding an ancient Trireme …

The Argo was waiting for me,she was so beautiful on the blue waters of the Thermaic Gulf.

Jason’s Argo,oh how beautiful she is …

I wanted to experience Jason’s adventures when he sailed in search of the Golden Fleece.

on a Trireme journey in the Argo,she is so beautiful

 

 And then back again on land to see another figure towered beyond the ordinary skies  …

Oh,there he is,the Great Man I was looking for …

O what a Man, so Bold and Brave …

A Brilliant Man,built like a Tower of Steel,some believe he was Unreal.Alexander the Great,the Legendary King of Macedonia while riding his horse Bucephalus,one of the most famous horses of antiquity.

Here is the tall impressive monument of Alexander the Great,six metres high,with the marble base reaches 11 metres.The statue was made in 1973 by Evangelos Moustakas,a renowned Greek artist. It was revealed to the public in 1974.He wanted him at the water-front,I wanted him above the clouds in the Heavenly Sphere with the Stars and the Planets.

V.Moustakas recounts :

“Ever since I was a child, I had imagined Alexander the Great equestrian and dashing – a hero of myth! I had been preoccupied with the subject since 1960-61 without dreaming of any competition. The equestrian figure interests me because it provides great opportunities for composition. Thus, for the monument I designed a Sculpture Space. I geometrized the forms on the equestrian figure so that they will withstand the test of time.I wanted a horse outside reality – a ‘beast’ …

More here:http://vagelismoustakas.com/en/node/201

The 5 Elements in my mind,the 5th, Aether,the heavenly element which has perpetual circular motion … I wanted him Up in the Heavenly Sphere …

O what a Man,so Bold and Brave,A Brilliant Man,built like a Tower of Steel

And while reading V.Moustakas inspiration,I am thinking that Gilbert Chesterton was right when he said that :

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists …

In 343 B.C., King Philip II hired the philosopher Aristotle to tutor Alexander at the Temple of the Nymphs at Meiza. Over the course of three years, Aristotle taught Alexander poetry, drama, science, politics, the meaning of Justice & the skills of Rhetoric.Alexander’s passion for learning never decayed.Seeing that Homer’s Iliad inspired Alexander to dream of becoming a heroic warrior, Aristotle created an abridged version of the tome for Alexander to carry with him on military campaigns.

History,Mythology,Philosophy,Culture … My mind was tired again,I will go back for a walk by the sea and in the streets of the city.Come with me,you don’t have to philosophise …

Oh,the White Tower,Thessaloniki’s landmark

The White Tower,Thessaloniki’s symbol and landmark,is a monument and museum on the waterfront of the city.The present tower replaced an old Byzantine fortification of the 12th century during the Ottman Empire in order to fortify the harbour of the city.It was whitewashed after Greece gained control of the city again in 1912.

The White Tower

Morning Walks around The White Tower

The “White Tower” texturised by Time …

Sunday Morning in the city of Thessaloniki

And Art under “The Umbrellas” on the new waterfront where G.Zongolopoulos put his own artistic expression,in 1997 when Thessaloniki was the Cultural Capital of Europe.

Under the Umbrellas with the rain and the sun …

A sculpture with adaptability to times and moments following the moods of the weather.When it is raining the umbrellas become a nice shelter,when it is foggy they make their mark on the horizon and when it is sunny they play with the bright sun rays.It is 13 metres high and made of stainless steel.The Venetians had expressed their enthusiasm when the sculptor presented “The Umbrellas” at the 46th Biennale in Italy.

Some people had fun,they thought the Umbrellas were too high and out of their reach  and they played,they laughed,they had fun …

some had fun,they played,they laughed …

others were fishing,they had fun,but they didn’t sit under The Umbrellas ..

Conferences,Ruins,Byzantine churches,murals,public art,history,statues,monuments,I’ll take some more snaps and go back to the hotel to relax and have panoramic views from the balcony.

some others live with the ruins,with the past and are enjoying the present …

the Ginger beauty was studying history,but got tired and fell asleep …

A “Banksy” graffiti artist wanted to show me his art and a beautiful dove was resting on the lawn,she had attended a  conference and wanted to gather her thoughts now …

The Banksy artist was proud of his graffiti art,he had also painted his breast reddish …

Pause … ,Silence … It’s the moment when the viewer becomes the creator …

the dove was gathering her thoughts after the conference …

Pavlos Melas wanted to tell me about history and the battles

The Muralist had Fun on the walls …

Pause … ,Silence … It’s the moment when the viewer becomes the creator …

The Helexpo Tower of the International Exhibition Centre in the city centre

There were so many statues,they all wanted to tell me their stories,I don’t have space to place them all here.There was also the Citadel,but I was tired,I will climb up there next time,I will only paint it now …

When I decided to paint the Citadel

Macedonia Palace and Electra Palace were waiting to receive and attend their patrons.They are both luxurious and very popular hotels.The panoramic views over the Thermaic Gulf  are fantastic.You stand on the balcony and you feel you can touch the blue waters of the Aegean sea.

Macedonia Palace at the waterfront

Electra Palace at the Aristotelous Square

The night started spreading its grey shades and shadows and the hotels were waiting to receive their patrons.

the greys of the night

Statues and monuments under the infinite black dome of the firmament

But The Heavenly Element has Perpetual Circular Motion …

The heavenly element has perpetual circular motion …

Civilisation in a complex society is Urban Development,Social Stratification,Symbolic Communication with different writing systems,Monumental Architecture,Expansionism …

And what is culture ? The Arts,the Manifestations of Human Intellectual Achievements,Ideas,Customs,the social behaviour of a society;it’s Your own Inner Construction,your Equilibrium  …

Aristotle’s bronze figure is in the square,with his own school of philosophy,known as Aristotelianism or the Peripatetic School,influenced almost all later philosophical thinking,you shall love beauty,which is the shadow of God over the Universe.

If you Aspire to Greatness,study Classics and seek Happiness only through the Cultivation of the Virtues that make a Human Life Complete.

The History of a country begins in the man’s heart and soul …

The Argo was again waiting for me …

The Argo was waiting …

For an Intimate Journey to the School of Gods and  into my Being,my Idealistic Dreams.Come with me,board the Ancient Trireme,you don’t have to Philosophise.Enjoy ordinary Scenes and Paint everything with your Own Colours.Enjoy the Journey …

Reviving Aristotle’s Peripatetic School …

AArchaeological Sites, Monuments, Churches and

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 To Her & Her Illusionary Figure …

 

Illusionary Figures …

 

Try to Unveil the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul,Discover the Jewel of Her Heart,Her Colours,Her Perfumes,Her Light,the Blossoms of her Secret Garden ..

 

incandescent light,ineffable elegance & beauty …

 

Incandescent Light,Ineffable Elegance & Beauty …

Is a Woman’s Face her Fiction ? Is it an Illusion to you ?

 

Illusionary Figures …

 

Ah, women ! They make the highs higher and the lows more frequent … What do you mean by that,Nietzsche … ?

What do you think about Socrates’ aspect ?

“Woman once made Equal to Man becomes his Superior … “

 

? ? ? …

 

Painters hate having to explain and dictate what their work is about.It’s whatever you want it to be.Connect it with your subconscious & enjoy Her Charms,Her Grace …

 

Illusionary Figures …

 

symbols & allegories …

 

Looking at Her from a different Perspective …

International Women’s Day

 

 

 

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 For the Love of Love  &  For All the Ones You Hold so Dear …

And why the reds ?

Because it’s the colour of the  ♥ and a symbol of warmth and feeling.

 

♥ For the Love of Love ♥

 

And For the Heart of the Rose …

 

For the ♥ of the Rose …

 

Love Makes Life so Sweet even without a box of chocolates.

 

sweet thoughts with empty boxes …

 

Make it special with beautiful thoughts and some rose petals.

 

Truths of Life & Beautiful Thoughts …

 

♥ For the Love of Love ♥

 

Just a quick post to Wish you All a Happy Sunday & Valentine’s Day

 

still a lot of catching up to do … but sending some roses to you makes me feel better  ♥ ♥ ♥

 

♥ love  ♥  flowers  ♥  sentiments  …  ♥

 

“Love sought is good,but given unsought is better … ”  Shakespeare …

 

 

 

 

 

 

Santa’s Phone Call & my Best Wishes for 2016

St.Basil had just phoned …

Was he late? No,he was not late at all.I am rather late but not forgetful …

Here I am again with my Best Wishes for a Happy & Peaceful New Year for all my WP Shining Stars ! A Galaxy Cluster has started shedding a dazzling light on my WP space again … & I am slowly making my first steps …

 

Hogmanay …

 

He was on his way down to Greece as always consistent and generous.No,he had not forgotten us,he simply respects our tradition …

 Christmas in Greece is celebrated on December 25th,but presents are usually given on January 1st,St.Basil’s Day (Agios Vassilis or Father Christmas ) from the UK.

 St. Basil’s (Agios Vassilis) name has been given to Father Christmas. He is celebrated on January 1st and he is associated with New Year’s Day,the day we get our 2016 presents.

 Hogmanay Scotland …. Any Similarities … ? Perhaps for those whose fealty to tradition is never in doubt.The world is rapidly changing but we try to keep culture and tradition unaltered.

My Santa sat on the Fireplace Mantel Reading his Notes and Giving away his Presents.

 

Agios Vassilis …

 He knows if we have been Naughty or Nice.Doesn’t he?Hope you got what you wanted,but we usually take back what we have given …

 

Giving Away 2016 Presents …

 

He is always a Just,Kind & Generous Saint …

 

Just a quick post with my Best Wishes for a Happy 2016 and to let you know that I will soon make a start again by answering all your kind comments on my Christmas post and visiting your place to enjoy your New Work.When I left my inbox was empty empty,and I want it back decent again.Please allow me some time.A big Thank You for your understanding and some flowers for You.

 

Orchid Flowers making New Dreams for 2016

 

They Love the Flawless Blue of the Skies …

 

ღ ♥ ღ CU soon …

 

 

 

 

☆–☆–☆ Happy Holidays my Friends ☆–☆–☆

 

It was all quiet that night in the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation.

The Big Blue Sphere,the “Geo-Cosmos” symbol,was hanging firm,I could feel the Earth and hear her voices.However,something was missing that night,something Brilliant something Holy …

 

“Geo-Cosmos” – the Blue Sphere

 

A dark shadow under the Blue Sphere was trying to do something,I was a bit confused and scared …

 

The Dark Shadow under the Blue Sphere …

 

Further down I noticed there was a Spacecraft and a floating astronaut in Space.I ,in awe,was waiting to see what would happen.I could feel that something Big was on the way because something was missing that Special Night.

 

A Spacecraft,a Floating in Space Astronaut …

 

The Space was getting darker and darker,I was standing under the Blue Sphere terrified,I needed Lights,special Lights that Holy Night … Suddenly,there was a lot of noise and a soft golden glow flooded the Space,the Spacecraft and the Astronaut disappeared and there was a magical explosion of Brilliant Lights and Shining little Stars.The miracle had happened,I witnessed it,the “Geo-Cosmos” was receiving more and more Shining little Stars,they were celebrating something Big that night …

 

Christmas Stars & Lights …

 

Angels were singing,all was bright,the Christmas Supernova had Exploded and was sending dazzling Light to Earth,to the Blue Sphere.

 

Angels were Singing …

 

A cluster of stars was heading down to Earth,it was shedding Pure Light and the “Geo-Cosmos” was receiving more and more Brilliant Stars,it was a Holy Night …

 

A Cluster of Stars …

 

Millions of “Love Stars” were warming the Blue Sphere and people’s hearts.

 

Magical Holy Night …

 

The Explosion of the Christmas Supernova in the Interstellar Space & Millions of “Love Stars” sending Peace to the World …

 

 

There was Love and Peace in people’s hearts and in every corner,and over the lakes and the mountains.

Peace All over the Lakes & the Mountains …

 

People didn’t sleep that Holy Night,they were celebrating,they were receiving Peace and Love from Heavens.

 

People didn’t Sleep that Holy Night …

 

Even Hachiko was ecstatic … He was receiving the Love he had given … He was watching the “Movements” in Heavens.

 

Hachiko is still waiting …

 

The Explosion of the Christmas Supernova in the Interstellar Space & Millions of “Love Stars” sending Peace to the World,to the “Geo-Cosmos” of the Blue Sphere …

I was watching the “Movements”,I witnessed the Miracle ”’

Watch the “Movements” Before the Big Explosion that Holy Night and put Love & Peace in your soul.

 

 

 

Christmas Stars & Lights …

 

 

♥ ★ May The Bright Star of Christmas Warm Your Hearts ★ ♥

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rescue Dog

Do Good Feel Good …

 

This is our New Family Member,Ares the Great …

He was abandoned,sorrowful,homeless,scared,helpless … he wanted a family,a mum,a dad,siblings and LOVE …  Only one stare was more than enough,and now,Ares is living happily with us …

 

New Family Member

 

Our little Westie,Heracles,was a bit reserved at first,but now Ares is his best friend.

 

Heracles the Brave one …

 

A Big Family now and so Happy Together …

 

Happy Dog Family

 

Even the little Rescue kitten,Fiji Suva,cheerfully received our new family member,Ares the Great.

 

Fiji Suva,the little Rescue Kitten

 

Fiji Suva,Pandora,Erato and Merope make another Happy Family.

 

Happy Cat Family

Pandora is the oldest and the most pampered …

 

Pandora our Sweet Lady

 

And,we made Christmas sweet to Celebrate Christmas and our New Family Member,Ares.We always keep tradition and we make Greek Christmas Sweets with Love,Cinnamon and Honey,you know,the Mediterranean way …

 

Christmas Sweets

 

Christmas Sweets

 

Do Good Feel Good – Save a Life & Christmas will be in You Hearts …

 

♥ Rescue Dog,Ares ♥

 

He is a real Gentleman …

 

♥ Ares,Hermes,Heracles,Willy,Pandora,Fiji Suva,Erato,Merope & I send You All our Deepest Love ♥

 

♥ Next week,we will put up a Christmas post to Wish You A Merry Christmas ♥

 

 

 

 

Autumn Quietness & Tiny Verdant islands

A Colligation of Stereognosis and Symbols in the Sapphire waters of the Archipelagos and Three-Dimensionality that can travel any of the Senses …

 

Stereognosis in Sapphire Waters …

 

Have you ever visualised thoughts that you couldn’t verbalise?The visual language of the echoes in the Archipelagos and the Pythagorean Harmony in Time and Space blended symbols and “white marble stones” of the western civilization,deep into the sapphire waters of the Ionian Sea.

It was just an Interaction between Geometry and Nature’s Beauty.A play between Stereognosis and the Perception of Proportions …

 

Stereognosis …

 

The Old-fashioned Charms and the Unspoiled Beauty of the Sleepy island of Paxos,the Tiniest of the Seven Ionian islands,awakened my senses and started blending Ancient Columns from the Temple of Zeus at Olympia with Marble tables engraved with Meander Patterns.

 

The Natural Port Gaios,resembling a Fiord

 

The Natural Port Gaios,resembling a Fiord,is created by the verdant islet St Nicolas.The Port Town is spreading with flair along the waterfront and up to the hilly area.It took its name after Gaios,the pupil of Paul the Apostle,who brought Christianity to the island.

 

The Sleepy island of Paxos

 

Mythology says that Poseidon,the Greek God,hurled his powerful Trident to the southern tip of Corfu, which floated and formed the Paxos Island.He created this island as a solitary peace and resting haven for him and his lady Amphitrite.

And History says that it dates back to prehistoric times …

And I ? I just went on playing with Stereognosis and the Perception of Proportions,I could visualise what I couldn’t verbalise …

 

Stereognosis & the Visual Language of a Colligation …

 

Stereognosis & The Perception of Proportions …

 

I could do anything,I could place and displace everyhing I wanted above or deep under the Sapphire Waters.It was a play I was so much enjoying … My only tools were The Pythagorean Harmony in Time and Space,Geometry,Stereognosis and Free Thinking …

 

The Perception of Proportions …

 

The Perception of Proportions,Depth & Three-dimensionality through any of the Senses kept placing and displacing the Echoes of the Visual Language …

 

The Art of the Visual Language …

Stereognosis & Twinkling Flashes of the Past …

 

An Interpersonal Communication … with Hesiod’s Theogony …

 

My mind like a Seafaring Vessel enchained to an invisible emanation,to a hearty familiarity of old civilisations …

 

Old Seafaring Vessel …

 

Stereognosis …

 

The Theogony of Hesiod …

 

Like the Symplegades Rocks …

Massive rocks proudly standing in the Ionian Sea since Homer’s era …

 Oh Poseidon,encircler of the earth and earthshaker,give me the strength to go through … Oh Athena,goddess with the gleaming eyes,send me wisdom to feel Homer’s words and go through …

 ” A small rock holds back a great wave… “

Homer :The Odyssey Greek epic poet (800 BC – 700 BC)

 

The Theogony of Hesiod …

 

“Verily at the first Chaos came to be, but next wide-bosomed Earth, the ever-sure foundations of all the deathless ones who hold the peaks of gigantic mountains in the depth of the wide-pathed Earth. From Chaos came forth Erebus and black Night; but of Night were born Aether and Day, whom she conceived and bare from union in love with Erebus.And Earth first bare starry Heaven … “

 

And Earth first bare starry Heaven

 

The Setting Sun started Playing with me

 

The Rocks took the Night’s Colours …

 

But the Sea of Light,the Sapphire Archipelagos never loses its colour … It simply plays with Gold and with the Light of the Stars …

 

It simply Plays with Gold …

 

It simply plays with Gold & with the Light of the Stars …

 

And,in the morning asks where the stars sleep … Beautiful the Verdant island of Paxos and the Sapphire Blue Waters that travelled my imagination to Stereognosis and to the Perception of  Proportions.

 

Autumn Quitness & Stereognosis …

Beautifully Quaint …

 

 

The Power of Simplicity Blended with Stereognosis & the Perception of Proportions ..

 

 PS : Just a note to tell you that I am not a Post and Run WP friend,soon with All of You to enjoy your new posts,and then,I’ll remove this note … ☀ ♥

 

 

When Will the World know Peace … ?

 

In the Mind’s Eye,I am not so Far Away … Just Sense me and I’ll be there ..

 

We Accomplish Nothing in this World Alone …

 

It was on a sunny May day in 2015 when my husband and I met our Parisian friend Camille in the Historical Plaka under the Acropolis to show her around and then drive to Sounio to enjoy the sunset from the Temple of Poseidon.

Greek-French Friendship under the Acropolis …

 

“Words are easy, like the wind; Faithful friends are hard to find.” William Shakespeare

Shall we Engrave our Friendship on the Ancient Columns like Lord Byron … ?

 

Shall We Engrave Friendship & Solidarity on the Ancient Colums like Lord Byron’s verses … ?

“Place me on Sunium’s marbled steep,Where nothing, save the waves and I,May hear our mutual murmurs sweep;There, swan-like, let me sing and die … “

Or Shall we Gaze reflectively at “The Big Blue” and Reinforce Friendships & Nations’ Unity … ?

The Balanced Symphony of the Turquoise and Deep Azure waters Uncondionally Established a Strong Greek-French Relation that Brought Warmth and Peace into our Souls.We had nothing to share but only Love and Happiness.How Beautiful the World Feels without Disputes & Forceful Conflicts … Why so much hatred and animosity poison our world,I will never comprehend …

 

Friendships above  Space  & Time  …

 

The Big Blue …

“God my Master Builder, You built me into the mountains,

God my Master Builder, You enclosed me in the sea … ” Odysseus Elytis – The Axion Esti

Standing still and recalling verses of the Greek Poet of the Aegean Sea,who dedicated his life to Love,Hope,Beauty,Freedom and Justice with a voice to the human consciousness.

The seascapes exuded Tranquility,Harmony,Peace and we Humans should understand that our welfare and peace of mind are possible only if  all Nations are United and support one another.

The sun started setting,Camille was standing next to me,we both felt the warmth of friendship.

 

Temples & Monuments Inspiring & Uniting people irrespective of different Beliefs & Cultures

 

Camille was enthralled by the golden hues and the warmth of our Friendship …

 

Peacekeeping Friendships …

 

Temples & Monuments Inspiring & Uniting people irrespective of different Beliefs & Cultures …

 

“If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships – the ability of all Peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.” Franklin D, Roosevelt

 

 

 

 

 

Colours & Verses

Georgian Squares in Edinburgh & a Poetry Garden in the City of Literature.A Square with Vibrant Colours & Verses …

 

Colours & Verses

*The Grandeur of St Andrew Square & The designated Poetry Garden * UNESCO city of literature *

St Andrew Square was built in 1770 and is part of the New Town design.The centrepiece of the Garden is the fluted column of the Melville Monument,commemorating Henry Dundas,1st Viscount Melville,a politician described as the uncrowned king of Scotland.
Its construction has a literary link as the grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson,the world-famous author and poet, was a lighthouse engineer,and he was consulted about the foundations for the 150ft monument when it was built in 1823.

In the 1780’s, during the Scottish Enlightenment period,St Andrew Square was free from the inconveniencies of the old city and was the most fashionable address in the New Town.
On 4th April 2008,the Garden with the wonderful pool and the pathways around,opened to the public for the first time in 230 years and dedicated space to Poetry.

Poetry in St Andrew Square is supported by:
Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust,Essential Edinburgh,Ewan Aitken,Coffee Republic,Edinburgh International Book Festival,The Edinburgh Makar,Scottish Book Trust and The Writers’ Museum.

Richard Holloway,once Chairman of the Scottish Arts Council,said that the wonderful thing about having a Poetry Garden in a famous square,in a beautiful city,is the way it will help people to pause for a minute and let Poetry into their lives.

 

Wring the Scottish Rain Clouds Dry …

 

Poetry Garden

 

New Ventures in Cities

Wring the Scottish Rain Clouds Dry …
the summer’s sun slowed down
to pearl-sheen dusk on hillsides and on lochs at midnight.
And, most of all, take the years that have already run to dust,
the dust we spill behind us…

All this,distill,and cask,and wait …
The senselessness of human things resolves
to Who we Are and our Present Fate.
Let’s taste,let’s savour and enjoy …
Here’s life! Here’s courage to go on … Ron Butlin …

“A Recipe for Whisky” from Without a Backward Glance,New & Selected Poems & Seeing Scotland in Verse.

And … what about “a wee dram “ ? Och I need one just to calm me heid … ! Aye All Good ‘N Fine … ♥

 

New Ventures in Cities

Aye All Good ‘N Fine … ♥

♥ Happy weekend to You All my Fiends & Peace …

Peace to the world,My thoughts go out to Paris 13 Nov 2015 …

 

 

The Epitome of Man’s Best Friend …

Greyfriars Bobby of Edinburgh …

The Epitome of Man’s Best Friend …

*Greyfriars Bobby was a Skye Terrier who became known in 19th-century in Edinburgh for spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until he died himself on 14 January 1872.The story continues to be well known in Scotland through several books and films,and a prominent commemorative bronze life-size statue on a granite fountain in Edinburgh.

*In 1850 a gardener called John Gray arrived in Edinburgh and as he was unable to find work as a gardener,he joined the Edinburgh Police Force as a night watchman.He also took on a partner,a diminutive Skye Terrier,his ‘watchdog’,called Bobby,to keep him company through the long winter nights. Together,the two faithful friends,John and Bobby, became a familiar sight trudging through the old cobbled streets of Edinburgh.

* William Brody sculptured the statue from life and it was unveiled in November 1873, opposite Greyfriars Kirkyard.It is with that,that Scotland’s Capital city will always remember the famous and faithful dog.

* A red granite stone was erected on Bobby’s grave by The Dog Aid Society of Scotland, and unveiled by the Duke of Gloucester on 13 May 1981.Since around 2000 it has been treated in a shrine-like manner,with sticks, for Bobby to fetch,dog toys and flowers.

* Bobby’s Headstone Reads *

“Greyfriars Bobby – died 14th January 1872 – aged 16 years – Let his Loyalty and Devotion be a Lesson to us all” More here …

Greyfriars Bobby …

Greyfriars Bobby Pub with the statue of loyal hound Bobby outside and just round the corner from the graveyard where the famous Skye terrier would lay down beside his master’s resting place.

A statue to the dog is outside the pub in Candlemaker Row – Grassmarket area – in the Old Town Edinburgh –

The Epitome of Man’s Best Friend …

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” Josh Billings

Bobby crossed over the rainbow bridge long ago,but his love is still above Edinburgh …

The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog. A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. He will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.By George Graham Vest “Tribute to the dog” …

Greyfriars Bobby …

♥ See you there my friends,the drinks are on me … ♥

*The Skye Terrier is one of the most endangered native dog breeds in the United Kingdom

“Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends.” Alexander Pope

Learning from Dogs : here :http://learningfromdogs.com/2015/11/11/rebooting-inmates-life/

Don’t Throw Us Away : here :http://dtua.org/

E Y M O P Φ ΙΑ – Λ – Γ Α Λ Α Ξ Ι Δ Ι ΟΥ II :

 Ευμορφια decided to spruce up her looks with summer colours … She lives and works in Γαλαξίδι and her family is the blue ocean waters of the Corinthian Gulf and the white birds …

Her name according to Plato means : Charm,Grace and Symmetry as proportions and harmonies are closely related to Beauty and its reflective forms … And such is the Boat EYMOPΦIA …

E Y M O P Φ ΙΑ – Λ – Γ Α Λ Α Ξ Ι Δ Ι ΟΥ II :

E Y M O P Φ ΙΑ – Λ – Γ Α Λ Α Ξ Ι Δ Ι ΟΥ II decided to travel to the Agean Sea and make friends with some other boats there.It was in the island of Lesbos where she met another colourful boat and they soon became friends.

Fishing Boats and Colours of Life

The sea was dead calm and very inviting and when the “Fishing Boat” finished her work,they decided to travel together and get to know Ikaria,the island where people forget to Die.What’s their secret?They had read so many articles about that,but they wanted to find out themselves.There must be something behind “The Blue Zone”,they thought …

What’s the secret elixir of eternal life?

Humbled to see Ikaria included in the “The Blue Zone” :

• The Italian island of Sardinia
• Okinawa, Japan
• Loma Linda, California
• Costa Rica’s isolated Nicoya Peninsula
• Ikaria, an isolated Greek island

https://www.bluezones.com/expedition/ikaria/

In the Blue Zone …

Ευμορφια and the “The Fishing Boat” had a warm welcome as they were approaching Ikaria’s harbour.The Ikarian boats were also beautiful and friendly and offered to show them around the island.

Ikaria’s Friendly boats …

Friendly boats …

Right Up my Alley …

Seafood ?

Seafood must be part of their secret,they thought and they had to eat something to keep their hunger at bay,before they go on …

Looks  fresh,smells good …

Refreshments …

Off again to explore the “Blue Zone”,looking Up,looking Down …

Up …

Looking down and feel humbled …

Geo-morphology …

Volcanic Rocks called “Elephant Skin Rocks”

Time etches the rocks,shapes giant boulders,it writes its neolithic history;the two boats look Up and Down,they want to see more,to learn more about the island that people forget to die …

Who Shaped the Rocks ?

Rocky Seashores kissed by cool turquoise waters …

Etched Volcanic rocks Painted with Pelagic Sediments

Etched Volcanic rocks Painted with Pelagic Sediments and monasteries with small chapels built under gigantic rocks.

The boats read a road sign,they have to follow the path to see where “Theoskepasti” is and why the name.Unusual architecture,they thought.God had decided to put a gigantic rock as a roof … Should we go and pray ?

Theo-skepasti …

Should we go and pray ?

ΘΕΟΣΚΕΠΑΣΤΗ …

The Prayer under the Gigantic rock in a Primordial cell  …

Immaculate cells …

Chapels overlooking  the IKARIAN Archipelagos …

Ευμορφια wanted to see more,but the “Fishing Boat” had to turn in as she had to get up early in the morning to go to work …

Let’s Call it a Day …

The setting sun announced the end of the day …

Icarus said that he would love to see them again in his island and narrate his own story.

*Ikaria has been inhabited since at least 7000 BC by the Neolithic pre-Hellenic race of Pelasgians.

*According to mythology Icarus, ignoring his father’s Daedalus advice, after escaping their imprisonment in Crete, flew very high, resulting in melting his wax feathers, falling and drawing in the sea somewhere around the island. His father buried his body on this island,which was named Ikaria to commemorate the daring youngster*

Icarus the Daring Youngster …

“There is more to come next time”,Icarus said …

Ikarians are open, relaxed, friendly people who greet you with a genuine smile.They seem to laugh in the face of modern life- the greedy rush through time,the loss of identity through globalization and homogenous life styles, consumerism, and materialism.

They have always been self-sufficient people,mainly shepards,farmers,fisherman, shop owners and craftsmen.They farm their own land with most households growing their own supply of organic fruit and vegetables.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/31/ikaria-greece-longevity-secrets-age

http://www.island-ikaria.com/culture/ikarians.asp

http://www.rd.com/health/conditions/island-people-forget-to-die/

Αραξε … One for the road – the road back to Lesbos

Honoured to see Ikaria included in the “The Blue Zone” :

• The Italian island of Sardinia
• Okinawa, Japan
• Loma Linda, California
• Costa Rica’s isolated Nicoya Peninsula
• Ikaria, an isolated Greek island

Travelling to the “Weeping Island” of Natural Treasures

The Aegean island of Chios is home to one of the most treasured and rare natural products in the world.You have to travel to the south of the island to collect Mastic tears and to witness the miracle of the weeping,evergreen, mastic tree, a phenomenon known only to this part of the world and only in the south of the island where the soil has specific volcanic elements.They live more than 100 years, they provide resin from their 5th year until their 70th and the crystallization of the tears takes from 15 to 30 days.Small but precious trees.

Mastic tree

History of mastic :

A leaf fossil from a mastic tree has been found dating six million years.Mastic has been known since ancient times.We find the first references to it in Herodotos (5th century BC). Some ancient authors who mention the properties of mastic are Dioskourides, Theophrastus, Galenos, Hippocrates, Apollodorus, Plinius, and Ermolaus.There is also evidence that Mastic was cultivated and exploited during the Hellenistic period.

Mastic tears …

When Christopher Columbus visited the island in the 15th century,mastic had already become the trademark of Chios.He believed that If the value of spices was calculated by their weight in silver,the value of mastic should be calculated by its weight in gold.From ancient times mastic has been used as a natural medicine.Nowadays,it’s widely used in food industry,cosmetics and in the pharmaceutical industry for the therapy of stomach ulcer and general stomach disorders. Traditionally mastic is taken as medicine for diabetes, cholesterol and any kind of stomach problems as it contains antioxidants and has antibacterial properties.Scientists recently discovered that when administrated even in small doses it decreases levels of total serum cholesterol, LDL,total cholesterol/HDL ratio.

*Within the European Union, mastic production in Chios is granted protected designation of origin.

Mastic trees

The word mastic derives from the Greek verb, μαστιχειν = to gnash the teeth,chew,which is the source of the English word masticate.

Weeping trees

Narrow alleys taking you back centuries …

Chios – East Aegean Sea

Walking in the narrow alleys of the Byzantine period and Collecting Jewels from”The Tree We Hurt ” …

* Not a Panacea,but it’s Good for You,my friends …

“And what he greatly thought,he nobody dared.”

Crepuscular Glow & Skygazing in the Island of Chios …

“The 8323 Krimigis Asteroid” was late but I was patiently waiting …

“8323 Krimigis Asteroid”

Homer,The Odyssey

* Dedicated to Stamatios Krimigis who comes from Chios *

* 8323 Krimigis is a main-belt asteroid discovered on October 17, 1979 and named after Dr Stamatios Krimigis.

*The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Trophy for 2015 was awarded to Stamatios M. Krimigis, who for 45 years has pioneered the exploration of our Solar System and beyond while at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.His visionary work developing new and innovative ways for NASA to explore the solar system provided the Laboratory with the opportunity to contribute engineering and science expertise to humanity’s quest to understand our Universe.

Currently, he is involved in missions to Mercury, Saturn, Pluto, the heliosphere, and participating in path-breaking contributions to understanding the transition zone to interstellar space.

“And what he greatly thought,he nobody dared.”

Homer,The Odyssey

Powered by Aeolus,the Ruler of the Winds …

Into the Solar System and Beyond …

Heavenly Bodies Orbiting around the Island of Chios & Brilliant Careers while Exploring Intersteller Space …

N.B. * There is a Total Eclipse of the Moon on the night of September 27-28, 2015. It happens to be the closest Supermoon of 2015.Enjoy it if you’re an ardent sky-gazer.The event will not be repeated until 2033. … *

https://jeteliot.wordpress.com/

Sharing the celestial observations of a talented writer and a great sky-watcher :

“Last night I enjoyed watching the long event of the lunar eclipse, sat bundled in a blanket on my deck as it rose over the valley, even heard an owl. There were many stars and planets out during the eclipse, and then when earth’s shadow passed and the moon was exposed, the stars faded in lieu of the lunar spotlight.”

Thank you dear Jet!You made the Celestial Double Event brighter 🙂

The “True Colours of Parga” awoke my senses and the Venetian Castle on the hill created an atmosphere of Romanticism with a much wider meaning and an intuitive feeling that the human nature can transcend any situations and circumstances.Over Earth and Ocean the Spitit I love remains and puts the imagery above any reason.My feelings enabled me to see that “Beauty is Truth” & inspires our self-expression & the intensity of our emotions.

The True Colours of Parga

My eyes rest on motley facades,my gaze on the Powerful Walls of the Venetian Castle on the top of a hill overlooking the blue Ionian Sea. I’ve touched the defiant Walls, I remember their sounds … The sea breeze caresses my thoughts as they drop down into the blue seas along with the grey rocks and the verdant tree branches …

The Sea Breeze Caresses my Thoughts,my Feelings …

But the boughs of the tree trunks obscured the view over the ocean and the little islets that punctuated its blue attire.I had to draw the branch curtains and start writing my own story …

Getting Closer & Closer to a White Speck  that had Caught my Attention …

After Drawing the Branch Curtains …

Scenic Beauty opposite Parga …

The Island of Panayia On the Shore of the Ionian Sea & a Pilgrimage to a Tiny Chapel off the Coast …

I drew the branch-curtains and wrote my own short story looking through the treetrunks on a high hill overlooking the “Virgin Mary-Island” …
On top of the islet,which is located opposite Parga town, lies the tiny,whitewashed chapel of Panagia. On August 15th, the name day of the Virgin Mary, it is usually crowed by the faithful who arrive by taxi boats.There is also another little chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas,and the ruins of a small fort built by the French in 1808.This is the Short Story of the Little Church Smack in the Centre of the “Virgin Mary-Island” ,taken from an elevated vantage point in order to Fill the Frame and Give Religious Depth …

A Pilgrimage to a Tiny Chapel off the Coast …

NB:The old city of Parga at the time of Plutarch and Ptolemy was the ancient Toryni, which was situated at the current location of the town … (Click on each photo to enlage,to see the details)

At the time of Plutarch & Ptolemy

Yet,Over the Earth & the Ocean the Spirit I Love remains …

 

Old Epidavros small Port & Magical Summer Nights …

Breathing sea breeze on the coast of Saronikos bay before heading for the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus,which is situated within the archaeological site of the Sanctuary of Asklepios in  Peloponnese.

Old Epidavros small Port

Balmy Nights at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

On a Balmy Summer Night before the performance,”The Acharnians” by Aristophanes,and thinking that :
” No man is rich enough to buy back his past … ” Oscar Wilde

~ The Theatre of Epidaurus was built in the 4th century BC ,by Polykleitos the Younger, according to the Phytagorean System-and is the best surving theatre from ancient Greece.It has amazing acoustics and sits in a canyon surrounded by pine trees.Love the view of the nearby mountains and the chirping sound of the nocturnal crickets that accompany the chorus … ~

“How many ages hence
Shall this our lofty scene be acted over In states unborn and accents yet unknown … “

 

The Market Place opens and desperation leads to all kind of merchandise and commodities put up for Sale …

The Acharnians … by Aristophanes

Exploring the Scenic Aristophanean Form While Political corruption rules … “Dikaiopolis” takes on an initiative for Peace,Justice and Meritocracy… The Market Place opens and desperation leads to all kind of merchandise and commodities put up for Sale …

Timeless Plays … ,very timeless,I am Afraid … Tragedy and Politics in Aristophanes’ The Acharnians ~ Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus ~ Presented in Greek with English subtitles ~

Aristophanes might be considered among the first authors to display interest in domestic economy, by turning the Athenians’ focus to the welfare of the “oikos” and its importance for the prosperity of the “polis”…

 

Great performances take place on the stage of Epidaurus every summer and I would also like to make mention of  one more performance that took place in 2011 and it was beyond successful …

The Old Vic Theatre moves to the Ancient Epidaurus Theatre ~ Kevin Spacey was literally born to play Richard III …

The Old Vic Theatre from London to Epidaurus

 

Dating to the 4th century B.C. and arranged in 55 semi-circular rows, remains the great masterwork of Polykleitos the Younger.It is renowned for its exceptional acoustics and can hold up to 14,000 spectators,who are able to hear actors and musicians–unamplified–from even the back row of the architectural masterpiece.

It was here in 2011 that Kevin Spacey and his acting troupe put on Shakespeare’s “Richard III” ,directed by Sam Mendes.

After his performance, Spacey posted the following comment on his Twitter account: “Never felt anything like performing R3 on the stage of the Epidaurus. Will carry experience with me rest of my life.” Spacey acted for 3 nights in front of around 28,000 spectators and each night he received a roaring standing ovation from a grateful audience. Obviously, Spacey was equally grateful for the opportunity to act on one of the world’s most special stages, the Epidaurus Theatre.Kevin Spacey couldn’t find a role in Shakespeare better suited to him than Richard III – Sam Mendes said ” I’d always felt that Spacey was born to play this part ” …

” Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace,Have no delight to pass away the time,Unless to spy my shadow in the sun And descant on mine own deformity:
And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover,To entertain these fair well-spoken days,I am determined to prove a villain And hate the idle pleasures of these days.
Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous, prophecies, libels and dreams … ”

* And I was thinking to myself that dreams,omens,prophecies & theories may also reflect a culture’s disturbances & fears …
Besides,Immoral Actions have Inevitable consequences for the wrongdoers … Haven’t they ?
But why both innocent and corrupt die ? Does any Divine Moral Justice exist or do we contribute to our fate … ?

Timeless and thought-provoking plays at one of the greatest monuments of Greek Antiquity, the famous theatre at the Asklepieion of Epidaurus, the finest and most renowned of its kind.

 

And the Chorus prayed for the Glory that “WAS” Greece …

Could You take me to some cavern for mine hiding,
In the hill-tops where the Sun scarce hath trod;
Or a cloud make the home of mine abiding,
As a bird among the bird-droves of God.

And the song  goes on to carry the imagination to a spot

Where a voice of living waters never ceaseth
In God’s quiet garden by the sea,
And Earth, the ancient life-giver, increaseth
Joy among the meadows, like a tree. (Euripides: Hippolytus )

” No man is rich enough to buy back his past … ” Oscar Wilde

 

But the Blue of the Greek Sea & the Sky is Ours,it’s our own Blue,Nobody can Touch it,Whatever it  happens …

Timeless Plays & Allegorical words …

Our Own Blue …

 

Why the cries ? No Crisis can Touch the Blue of the Sky,of the Ocean …

 

 

 

You were only an Ordinary fellow as an Eagle; but as an old Rooster you are a Fowl of Incomparable Distinction …

Aesop’s Fables …

Moral:  Pride goes before destruction …

The Motley Rooster of the Painting with the Regal Red Comb sighed and said :

“I shall Cry but wheather the Sun Rises God knows … “

Painting hanging outside a gallery in the Historical Plaka …

And Feeling like a Fish out of  WordPress Water …

Painting hanging outside a gallery in the Historical Plaka …

And,Stuck between a Rock and a Hard Place … Or in other words …Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea …

Caught Between a Rock & a Hard Place …

I feel Sorry for M I A … and the Allusiveness of my Words …

I have missed All of You and your Remarkable posts,dear WP friends!

Soon,with You,after re-arranging my travel plans,re-scheduling everything or even cancelling them …

After the Tears of the Night … 26 June 2015 …

After the Tears of the Night …

~ Hope you are all keeping well ~

“I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.” — Frank Lloyd Wright

Mt.Penteli cactus and naturally sculptured Marble Rocks … The same Pentelic Marble,the marble which was used for the Columns of the Parthenon on the Acropolis …

Cyclamens’ Home,our Home …

Cyclamens’ Home,our Home …

Peacefully dwelling in Marble Rocks in Mount Penteli.

The columns of the Parthenon on the Acropolis were made of Pentelic marble,the same marble.Isn’t it magnificent ?

“The Earth Laughs in Flowers.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Chamomile Smiles under the Attica Sun …

Gaia …

” GAIA  incense,every seed,less broads and aroma….

Oh goddess Earth  ,mother of blessed,and mortal humans, nurse of all,provider of all,fruits ripening, decaying everything, help of growth, bringer of fruits, loaded of beautiful seasons ; seat of the undying cosmos, Kore variegated, who through birth’s pangs you deliver multiform fruits;

immortal,very august,with deep laps,of prosperous fate,joyful in the sweet breezed lawn, demon with the many flowers; happy in downpours, around her a daedalus-like world of stars revolves eternally pushed by powerful natural forces.

But blessed goddess,may you proliferate pleasure-giving fruits,showing a kind heart , in prosperous seasons.

The translated hymn is from(THE ORPHIC HYMNS)  Astronomy in the Age of Ice By P. PETRIDES

(Gaia=Γη = Εarth)

But blessed goddess,Gaia,may you proliferate pleasure-giving fruits,showing a kind heart , in prosperous seasons …

Gaia,Provider of All Fruits  …

The Fox’s Home,our Home …

Night Treats Chamomile Scented …

The Ant’s Home,our Home …

The Ant’s Home,Our Home …

How do we dare to disturb the Harmony and the Beauty of our Universe,of our common Home ….

We Want to Live too … Do we disturb you ? …

Living in Mount Penteli and enjoying the warm Attica Sun.They disturb nobody,they want to live too …

~ ✿  Happy Earth Day ✿ ~

 

 

Still on Holidays and Away from  WP  for a Little While …

~ Cheers to You All my WP friends  ~

♥  Drinks for everybody,it’s all on me … ♥

Cheers …

Honey wine of the moon-unfolded flowers,

which fairies catch in vases and prattle their joy in sleep …

Good-night ? Ah ! No; the hour is ill

which severs those it should unite …

Let us remain together still,

Then it will be good night …

 Shelley Lyricism and Romantic words …

Spring Smiles …

 

I Spread my Wings and Flew Free … & Painted my Life with Blues & Greens & Bright Warm Colours …

Flying Free …

❦ No Computers
❦ No Laptops
❦ No Tablets
❦ And away from all my social networks …
❦ Cell phones allowed,but with no internet connections …
❦ Digital Cameras allowed lol …

~  I gathered Bright,Warm and Soft Colours and Mixed them with my Dreams to Paint my Life … Walked on Green Carpets,Became one with the Ocean and the Forest Rivers,the Lakes and the Blue of the Skies … Filled my Life with Sunshine and Colours … My Life was like a painting …

Walking on Green Carpets …

Painting my Life with Bright Warm Colours & Reflections …

The Greens of my Life …

Sharing  Reflective Colours with the Birds …

Grace & Vesper Reflections …

River Course Smoothly Flowing …

On the Way to the Blue Ocean …

Range of Blues …

The Green Signature in the Blue Sky above the Ocean …

And the Beautiful Leaf embracing the Spring Smiles …

Spring Smiles … & Beautiful Leaves …

 I painted the Leaves with Yellow while Walking on the Greens  …

Walking on the Greens …

In the Lotusland & the Realms of the Visionary …

The Colours of my Life … In The Meander of my Soul …

The Meander of my Life …

In The Dreamy Unreality …

 

Living in the Cloudland & Painting my Life with Colours & Reflections …

 

~ Out of Sight,but not out of Mind … ~

ლ See you again after the 23rd of April as All Things come to an end and I am about to leave the Lotusland … ლ

Good-night ?Ah ! No; the hour is ill

which severs those it should unite …

Let us remain together still,

Then it will be good night …

 

Cheers to you All …

 

PS : I’ll break the holiday rules tonight and pay some visits to some of my WP friends,who were kind enough to come by my place and leave their warm comments.

 

❤ Thankful for your views,comments & faves ❤

 

 

«Easter 2015 » & Religious Tolerance …

Does it really Matter if it’s on the 5th or the 12th ?

«Ο Θεός αγάπη εστίν»  God is Love …

Written in Greek on a stele in Mount Nebo in Jordan :

What Does it Say ?

«Ο Θεός αγάπη εστίν»  God is Love …

And,“If a man can arrange his religion so that it perfectly satisfies his conscience,it is not incumbent on him to care whether the arrangement is satisfactory to anyone else or not ” , Mark Twain ~

The Innocents Abroad …

Jordan Easter 2015

Happy Easter or if you don’t celebrate it – Happy Spring …

Does it really Matter if it’s on the 5th or the 12th ?

In most years Western Christian churches and Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Easter on different dates. In 2015, Easter will be celebrated on April 5 by Western churches and April 12 by Orthodox churches. But in 2014, the two celebrations occurred on the same date, April 20.

The first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox,is identical for both Western and Orthodox Easters, but the churches base the dates on different calendars. Western churches use the Gregorian calendar,the standard calendar for much of the world, and Orthodox churches use the older,Julian calendrar.I’m still confused …

Orthodox,Unorthodox,Paradox … It doesn’t really matter. «Ο Θεός αγάπη εστίν» …

And when is a Full moon Full ?

When is a Full Moon Full ?

I read about Ecclesiastical moons and paschal full moons,about astronomical equinox,and fixed equinox and two different calendars,and the different Dates,but still my Faith,my Beliefs are not influenced,I am not dogmatic at all.Because God is Love and Love is God …

God is Love …

Petra-Jordan

Easter 2015 -Petra Jordan

Jordan-Easter 2015

Jordan-Easter 2015

Does it matter if it’s on the 5th or 12th? Or,if you don’t celebrate it ? …

Happy Easter when it comes for you ! Or,Happy Spring !

Easter Lilac Blossoms

And if you like tradition,here are some Easter cookies and Red Easter Eggs for you …

Easter Cookies

Tradition says that we dye the eggs red because it is the colour of life as well as a representation of the blood of Christ. From ancient times, the egg has been a symbol of the renewal of life, and the message of the red eggs is victory over death.

Well, “If a man can arrange his religion so that it perfectly satisfies his conscience,it is not incumbent on him to care whether the arrangement is satisfactory to anyone else or not ” , Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad  …

~ Happy Easter when it comes to you or Have a Wonderful Spring Weekend ~

~The Cookies and the Red Eggs are for everybody …

~ You All Have my Love ~

Sorry for Missing in Action my WP friends,but my comments on most posts are spammed.I just write my comment and it disappears instead of being posted.Hope Akismet helps me soon and be able to comment decently again …

Till then : I will be running on the stadium  …. until I catch up  …

The Stadium at the Archaeological site of Olympia – Greece

The monumental entrance,Krypre, to the Stadium at the Archaeological site of Olympia – Greece

Ancient Ruins of Palaestra area in which athletes trained for Wrestling

I’ll be running on the Stadium at the Archaeological site of Olympia and try to catch up …

Archaeological Museum of Olympia

Pediment of the Temple of Zeus in the Archaeological Museum of Olympia.
It’s opposite the excavation site of the Kronion Hill. The Temple of Zeus at Olympia housed the renowned statue of Zeus (13m/43ft) high, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.It took Phidias 12 years to complete it.

Hope it doesn’t take that long for Akismet …

~ You all have my Love ♡ … ~

 

♥ The Rite of Spring ♥

Metamorphosis …

 

Nymphs Celebrating the Coming of Spring …

 

April is the cruellest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain …T.S.Eliot

 

Metamorphosis

 

Golden Wind of Life why don’t you Reach me ? I want to Breathe Spring  Sweet Fragrances  …

The Frosty Veil melted down and Flowers felt the Spring Warming Breeze …

 

When the frosty veil
melted down …

 

Metamorphosis …

 

Thematic Depictions …

 

NYMPHS, who from Ocean’s stream derive your birth,
Who dwell in liquid caverns of the earth

Nurses of Bacchus secret-coursing pow’r,
Who fruits sustain, and nourish ev’ry flow’r:
Earthly, rejoicing, who in meadows dwell,
And caves and dens, whose depths extend to hell:
Holy, oblique, who swiftly soar thro’ air,
Fountains and dews, and mazy streams your care:
Seen and unseen, who joy with wand’rings wide
And gentle course, thro’ flow’ry vales to glide; 10
With Pan exulting on the mountains height,
Loud-founding, mad, whom rocks and woods delight:
Nymphs od’rous, rob’d in white, whose streams exhale
The breeze refreshing, and the balmy gale …

~ Excerpt from the Orphic Hymn ~

 

 

♥ Happy Spring to You all my WP Friends ♥

 ~  Spring Equinox 2015  ~

 

 

Finnish Colours and Music Notation …

 

 

A Shadow of Memory with Finnish Colours & Sibelius ♫♪♫♪♫

 

Slowly Flowing Musical Notes  …

 

~ ASSIMILATION ~

I will show you a way that I have travelled,
If you come …
I will show you how everything shifts
a little every moment
and becomes less pretentious
and more primitive,soft and hazy
like early forms of life …

Eeva-Liisa Manner – adapted …

 

Porvoonjoki River smoothly flowing & becoming less pretentious …

 

Synaesthesia :
In literature, synesthesia refers to a technique adopted to present ideas, characters or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one senses like Hearing, Seeing, Smell ,Touh … at a given time …

Sibelius ~ Symphony No.2
<a href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzG-yIVPjek&#8221; rel=”nofollow”>www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzG-yIVPjek</a>

 

Light and Musical Echoes in the Rocks …

 

Temppeliaukio’s organ

 

The Hall of Temppeliaukio church is covered with a dome lined with copper and supported on the rock walls by reinforced concrete beams. The interior walls are of rugged rock and create excellent acoustics.The sunlight spreads from the row of windows surrounding the roof periphery to the altar wall, where an ice-age crevice serves as the altarpiece.There is a split-level platform for the choir, and floor space is reserved for an orchestra and hosts classical concerts.

 

The Alter in the Rocks …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSYDlTFxUNI

 

Light and colours blend and with Sound Waves echo harmoniously in the rocks and in the smoothly flowing “staff” of the river …

 

the musical staff of the river …

Φ stands for

Light,Colours and Sounds reflect and refract in Musical notes … ♫ ♪ ♫

Synaesthesia …

Abstract Art & the Essence of Music …

Sibelius Monument in Helsinki Finland “Composed” of more than 600 hollow steel pipes … and a Shadow of Memory by the River …

A Shadow of Memory by the River …

 

Finnish Colours & Music Interchanging places and Awakening the Senses …  Synaesthesia …

 

 

 

 International Women’s Day 8th of March

 

Happy Women’s Day

 

~ ~ ~ The Greatest Gift to Man is Woman … ~ ~ ~

Did you know that my friends ? But don’t forget that :
“Women are made to be loved, not understood.”–Oscar Wilde

 ❦  Happy Women’s Day and Mimosa Flowers for You my Friends ❦

 

Women & Acacia

 

Yellow Mimosa is the symbol of International Women’s Day.

 

❦ It all started in Rome in 1946 — of men giving their wives, mothers, daughters, and other women friends sprigs of bright yellow Mimosa flowers on March 8. Women have since also started to give Mimosa to each other. The flowers are intended as a sign of respect for the women and an expression of solidarity with the women in their support for oppressed women worldwide.

 

❦ The Theme for the Women’s day this year is “Empowering Women—Empowering Humanity ” ,and it envisions a world where each woman and girl can exercise their choices, such as participating in politics, getting an education, having an income, and living in societies free from violence and discrimination” according to the official United Nations statement.

 

❤ Happy Sunday and Women’s Day ❤

❦ Women are the real architects of society.” Harriet Beecher Stowe … Aren’t they ?

NB: Acacia (Mimosa),is a word of Greek origin which means guileless.Did you know that my friends ?

We are guileless,however,it’s a euphemistic word … Are you mystified … ? lol … They want to propitiate us,they offer ( A=non-cacia= ill will ) Acacia flowers …

Aphrodite,the goddess of love and beauty,sprung from the Foam of the Blue Ocean …

 

Re-born  from the foam of the blue ocean

 

❦  Re-born … 8th of March …

 

❤ Happy Sunday and Women’s Day ❤

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Happy Month of March to You All ~

Fathom your Thoughts into the Blue and Wait for the Miracle …

 

Awaiting the Miracle …

~ Meteorological Spring arrived on the 1st of March and runs until 31st of May ~ Still a bit chilly and wet,but we can see the first signs of the Astrological Spring which arrives on the 20 th of March and runs until 21 June ~

Aeolus,the ruler of the winds,blew a gentle breeze over the Greys of Winter and up to the snow-clad peaks of Mount Parnassus to melt the soft snow and bring the Queen of all Seasons.

 

The Greys of Winter …

Spring snow slowly melting …

 

 

The Wintry Face of Tamarix by the seaside,was awaiting the Transformation,was writing its own story.

 

barren branches of Tamarix waiting for the miracle …

 

 

Its dark trunk looked so dramatic against the vast blue firmament and it started recalling its past glories while was patiently waiting for the Transformation …

 

Awaiting the Absolute Transformation,the Miracle …

 

The Absolute Transformation …

Into the Pinks …

 

The same Tree,the same Place,the same Soul …

 

The gentle winter breeze softly caressed my face,I stood still and looked up in the sky to observe the Anarchic Architecture of the Clouds above Mount Parnassus where Orpheus met Apollo near the Castalia “spring” and gave him the golden lyre.I haven’t studied Nephology,but I love travelling my dreams and my thoughts with the ever-changing shapes of the thick cumulus clouds.

 

Travelling my Dreams and Thoughts with the ever-changing shapes of the Clouds …

 

Still I stood recalling mythology above and beyond the sea and the Mount Parnassus clouds; and I arbitrarily grasped what the Gods hadn’t given me …

 

the greys of winter into the blues …

 

Above and Beyond the Sea and the Clouds …

and painted the skies with my own colours,the colours of the Spring …

 

painting with my own colours …

 

  arbitrarily grasping what the Gods hadn’t given me …

 

 

 

 

 Destinations … “The crossroads of Oedipus … “

 

“The crossroads of Oedipus … “

Destiny and Crossroads Symbolising Dilemma …

Where Oedipus killed his father Laius, the roads from Thebes, Delphi and Daulis meet and behind rises the massive Mount of Parnassus where Oedipus was abandoned to die … You all know the plot from Sophocles’ Tragedy ,”Oedipus the King” … Daulis ( Greek : Δαύλεια) as it is written on the road sign,is the City at the End of the Road not Taken by Oedipus …

Mount Parnassus

~ Here is part of the plot to keep you busy my friends until I manage to reach your places …  ~

King Laius of Thebes and his wife Jocasta were warned by the Delphic Oracle that should they have a son that son would kill Laius and marry Jocasta.When she gave birth to a son,fearing the prophecy Laius pierced and bound the infant’s feet and left him to die in Mount Parnassus.A shepherd found the child and brought him to his king, King Polybius of Corinth. Polybus raised the child as his own, naming him Oedipus, which means “swollen-foot” …

Heading for Daulis

~ Story goes on … and to make it short … Oedipus becomes a Patricide when he discovers his Destiny. He learns from the Delphic oracle that his Destiny is to kill his father and marry his mother. … Oedipus does not know that King Polybus is not his real father, so he leaves Corinth to avoid his Destiny… When he arrives at Thebes,he finds the town under the curse of the Sphinx, who will not free the city unless her riddle is answered. The Sphinx outside the gates of the town,was asking everyone who tried to enter,a riddle:

 

~ “What has four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?” ~

 

If they guessed correctly she would leave.If incorrectly,she got to eat the unfortunate people;Oedipus took a stab at the riddle, and guessed the correct answer: ” A Man ”
A Man … Alas,that simple it was … The Sphinx left,people were overjoyed and made Oedipus their King, and he married Jocasta, the queen … Do you believe in Destiny … ?

~ Just a simple Road Sign with long (Hi)story behind … ~ Sophecles’ Tragedy and the myth of Oedipus is very old. It first appeared in written form in Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad. Aeschylus and Euripides wrote plays about the hero, as did Julius Caesar, Ovid and Seneca. But the greatest version of all is the play “Oedipus The King” by Sophocles, first staged in 429 B C E ~

~ Is Destiny an Irresistible Power we cannot control,or we make our own Destiny?

~ Is Destiny Unavoidable ?  ~ Long-Standing Questions …

which we left behind and we took the road to Daulis,Greek: Δαύλεια,to avoid our Destiny … A storm was brewing,we had to rush and close enough there was a pub nicely sheltered by a stream.It was somewhere near here that baby Oedipus was left to die …

 

At one with the Roof …

 

That’s what we needed to weather the storm,a warm and cozy corner to have a cup of mountain tea,or a glass of wine to keep us warm and to make our own Destiny …

As we were leaving, a lovely piece of  Alternative Art,caught my attention,and I thought that creativity has no limits …

 

Raw Materials & Alternative Art

 

~  Road Signs and Raw Materials that Pre-determined a Course of events on a Wintry day in Mount Parnassus ~   ~It was my Destiny …  ~

 

 

 

Aprreciative Love Gazes and Holds its Breath and it is Silent …

 

Posing for our WP friends with grace and flair …

 

Well, you ask what the Lab & the Westie are doing here, Eh … ?
They send you their Unconditional Love and their Fondest Wishes  ❤️ ~ Heracles & Hermes ~ ❤

 

The Prince of the house & The Lord of the Garden

 

~ Hermes and Heracles are happily woofing and send you unconditional love and warm wishes for a peaceful and enjoyable weekend ~

Hermes,the Lab,is a lad now and so is Heracles the Westie.They were both born in 2012,but Edward was Edward,was Edward,was Edward … His spirit always with us …

 

Edward was Edward,was Edward …

 

“When the Man waked up he said, ‘What is Wild Dog doing here?’ And the Woman said, ‘His name is not Wild Dog any more, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always.'” Rudyard Kipling (The Jungle Book)

 

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie and Enjoy your Weekend my WP friends !!!

 

♥ Thank You my “Pawssionate” friends and Tender Pet Parents for your Love ♥

 

 

 

♥ The Nature of Love …

 

Eros, Philia, Agape,Storge,Pragma,Philautia,Care,Affection …

What is love ? Probably there is not a single answer to this question and this is why the Ancient Greeks had different words to describe love. Knowing them can change your life …

 

What is this Thing Called Love ?

 

Love has a “nature” that it cannot be described in rational or meaningful propositions.The Platonic theory of Eros is that ideal beauty, which is reflected in the particular images of beauty we find, becomes interchangeable across people and things, ideas, and art. To love is to love the Platonic form of beauty-not a particular individual, but the element they posses of true,Ideal beauty.

Philia is a fondness and appreciation of the other. For the Greeks, the term philia incorporated not just friendship, but also loyalties to family,society and broader communities.Philia could not flow from those who are quarrelsome,aggressive in manner and unjust.

 

Happy Valentine’s Day..

 

Agape is the love of altruism, of giving without asking anything in return, and of sacrificing oneself for one’s partner. Many would consider it to be the purest form of love.

Storge Love is  friendship-based love. There is strong companionship,shared values and love-bonds of wider family members.It is often described as a natural or instinctive affection and  similar to agape, it is unconditional,but does not have the self-sacrificing and altruistic aspects of agape.

 

” Is Love love of something,or of nothing … ?

 

Pragma is about standing in love and making an effort to give love, rather than receive it.It refers to practical or logical love in which someone searches for a partner with certain characteristics. 

Philautia has two types,one is associated with narcissism,which is unhealthy and the other has to do with a wider capacity to love ; if you like yourself and feel secure in yourself, you will have plenty of love to give to others ~

Mania Love is known as the troubled love. This love has jealousy and dependence, great intensity, some intimacy, and many psychological symptoms related to the relationship.

 

What is this Thing that is Called Love ?

 

Love Means Different Things to Different People …

 

Love means different things to different people …

C.S. Lewis in his book ,”The Four Loves”,describes some other types of love such as :

“Divine Love”, “Gift-love” ,”Need-love” whereas a child seeks the comfort of a mother’s embrace,and “Appreciative-love.

Aristotle supported that “All friendly feelings for others are an extension of a man’s feelings for himself “.

 

” Is Love love of something,or of nothing … ?

 

What is this Thing Called Love ?

 

~  ~ ♥ I live to love and to be loved  ♥ ~ ~

It’s Snowing outside … the Flames of Love are Rhythmically Dancing in the Fireplace …

 

The Flames of Love are Rhythmically Dancing in the Fireplace  …

 

~ ♥ Happy Valentine’s Day my WP friends ~ & ~ Thanks Kindly for your comments & likes  ♥ ~

 

Flames of Love & Snow

 

~♥ Eros ~ Philia ~ Agape ~ Storge ~ Pragma ~ Philautia  ~ Give-Love ~ Need-Love ~ Appreciative-Love ~ Care ~ Affection … ♥ ~

 

~ Reading Heaven’s Signs … ~

 

At long last I decided to take time out of my busy schedule and show signs of life in the fabulous WP world … , and try to catch my unfulfilled dream,the dream of my life …  Well,you know,there is a very sociable word,a word with many extensions and spreading branches,but so very frustrating,I’m afraid … Is “catching up” hard on you,my friends ? How do you manage to take control of the situation? There must be a strategy ; I have noticed that most WP bloggers leave simply a “like”,or a two-word phrase-comment …,while I usually leave the story of my life … Ah,enough of my rambling,let me show you my protected Pink Roses …

 

 

It was a quiet winter day,my Pink Roses were happily basking in the warm sun,when storm clouds started gathering and presaging heavy storms … Then,on the spur of the moment,I decided to save them in my Glass World,where they are warm and safe now …

 

Rhapsody in Blue & Green …

 

Have you ever wondered why the sky is so Blue ?

I asked why  … ,and Lord Rayleigh gave me the answer … But,a cloud does not know why it moves in a certain direction and at such a speed… It feels an impulse … this is the place to go now and here it is above my garden,and in the ultimate Thule …

Soon,there was a storm brewing up,heavy rain was nearing and I wanted to keep the pink roses safe in my Glass World until Spring arrives and set them free …

Threatening Clouds above the Garden …

true stories from my garden in the middle of winter

Rushing the Pink Roses into my Glass World …

The procedure started at a rapid pace and soon …

 

How beautiful they look in my Glass World and away from the furious winds and the violent rain storms …

~ Please behold them in my Glass World until Spring arrives … ~

Protected in a Beautiful Glass World …

 

Now,I can only hear them happily whispering and saying that they are looking forward to Spring …

Rosy Thoughts in my Glass World …

 

“True” Garden Stories in the middle of Winter … and under the Sky,the same Sky We all Live …

Oh,come on Doda,stop being childish ..

 

~ ❤ A big Thank You my WP friends for your comments & likes  ❤ ~