View allAll Photos Tagged Consistent
La Chiesa di San Giorgio, posta tra la parte alta e la parte bassa della città, in posizione scenografica con il prospetto rivolto verso occidente è l’architettura più imponente della città e di tutta la Sicilia sud-orientale. La singolarità dell’opera, oltre alla sua intrinseca bellezza, è data dalla sua collocazione urbanistica, al centro di una città costruita a ripiani irregolari collegati da scalinate e salite tortuose con ampi spazi che, ancora nel Settecento, dovevano essere destinati a giardini e orti terrazzati. La fisionomia attuale della chiesa è il risultato di più secoli di trasformazioni, integrazioni e completamenti con gli interventi più consistenti che si situano tra il XVII e il XIX secolo. La prima fonte che parla dell’esistenza della chiesa è una bolla pontificia dal 1150 di papa Eugenio III con la quale la chiesa veniva posta sotto la tutela del Monastero di Mileto in Calabria. Secondo la tradizione la chiesa fu fondata dal Conte Ruggero e, in ricordo di tale avvenimento, all’interno, sopra il portale principale è esposta l’armatura del Conte Ruggero d’Altavilla, il condottiero dei Normanni e il leggendario fondatore di San Giorgio.
Nel 1643 il cedimento di un pilastro del transetto e la preoccupazione del crollo degli archi vicini porta a un radicale intervento nella chiesa. Dopo aver consultato vari architetti ed “esperti di fabrica” provenienti da varie città del Regno, fu deciso di sfabricare il precedente edificio e di dare l’incarico per un nuovo “modello” e “pianta” a Frate Marcello da Palermo dei Minori Riformati di San Francesco. Molto probabilmente non si trattò di una ricostruzione totale ma di una trasformazione. Tra l’altro il grande polittico che Bernardino Niger aveva realizzato nel 1573, posto nella parete di fondo dell’abside della navata centrale è da citare come punto di riferimento della precedente struttura delle chiesa e, infatti, condizionò i successivi progetti di ristrutturazione.
Nel 1660 lo storico Rocco Pirri fornisce informazioni sulla chiesa citandola come la più antica e la più celebre della Contea di Modica. Contava, all’epoca, 13.000 anime e aveva settanta sacerdoti tra canonici e cappellani.
Il Pirri ricorda che non era “seconda” ad altre chiese siciliane per dipinti e simulacri, si trovavano al suo interno “superbissimas iconas”, una grande arca d’argento e un bellissimo tabernacolo. Il Pirri ricorda anche il contributo economico determinante dei Conti di Modica per la ricostruzione dell’edificio.
Molto poco ci resta di quel momento storico compreso tra la ricostruzione del 1643 e il terremoto del 1693. Solo alcune opere si datano tra il XVI e il XVII secolo: oltre al polittico di Bernardino Niger (1573), alla tela dell’Assunta del pittore toscano Filippo Paladini datata 1610 e a un’opera del Cicalesius, vanno menzionate La Madonna della Neve, una scultura rinascimentale in marmo, uno stemma ligneo dipinto con il tema di San Giorgio e il Drago datato 1576, una tela secentesca anonima raffigurante una Deposizione conservata in sacrestia e due sarcofagi del Seicento conservati nel transetto e realizzati secondo la tecnica di lavorazione a marmi mischi che formano motivi poligonali, tecnica molto utilizzata nel XVII secolo.
Il sisma del 1693 intacca l’edificio danneggiando molte strutture, sono molte le relazioni sui danni subiti dalla chiesa redatte da vari capimastri.
POLITTICO: Il Polittico occupa tutta la parete di fondo dell’abside. Attribuito, inizialmente, all’Alibrandi, un pittore dei primi del Cinquecento, fu, in seguito a un restauro dell’opera, attribuito a Bernardino Niger, un pittore, forse di origine greca, attivo a Catania, Caltagirone e Modica. Un artista che recupera tradizioni pittoriche di un certo accademismo classicista di derivazione messinese.
IL Polittico ha un’ampia impostazione e retablo di origine spagnola e non devono stupire questi riferimenti all’arte spagnola presenti a Modica capitale della Contea.
E’ il più grande polittico di tradizione medievale-rinascimentale presente in Sicilia se si fa eccezione di quello marmoreo del Gagini nella Cattedrale di Palermo, andato perduto. Date le dimensioni dell’opera si può dedurre che, anche la chiesa del Seicento doveva avere un grande sviluppo così da dare respiro a questa imponente opera pittorica.
Il Polittico è composto da nove riquadri più il lunettone, sulla sommità, dove è rappresentato Dio Padre. I nove riquadri sono disposti in tre ordini. Nel primo ordine dal basso sono rappresentati San Giorgio e San Martino, i due Santi Cavalieri e Guerrieri, che hanno una devozione particolarmente viva in tutta la Contea di Modica.
Nel secondo ordine vengono rappresentati i Misteri Gaudiosi e nel terzo i Misteri Gloriosi. Elegante ed estremamente ricca è l’ampia cornice in legno scolpito e dorato con elementi manieristici.
L’ASSUNTA DI FILIPPO PALADINI: Una delle opere più significative della Chiesa di San Giorgio è sicuramente la tela raffigurante l’Assunta dipinta dal pittore toscano Filippo Paladini, un’opera datata 1610. Il Paladini è uno dei maggiori esponenti della pittura italiana che opera all’interno del manierismo con echi caravaggeschi. Filippo Paladini subisce la stessa sorte di Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio poiché, a causa di un guaio con la giustizia, si reca a Malta protettorato appartenente al Sovrano Ordine Cavalleresco e Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Malta. In Sicilia si conoscono opere dell’artista a Vizzini, Palermo, Enna, Caltanissetta.
Dopo aver trascorso un periodo in territorio maltese ritorna il Sicilia e muore, nel 1614, a Mazzarino, in provincia di Caltanissetta, ospite dei signori Branciforte, proprietari di un vasto feudo.
Il dipinto si sviluppa secondo due registri: uno che si svolge secondo un asse orizzontale, l’altro secondo un asse verticale ascendente. In basso, intorno al sarcofago vuoto si trovano gli apostoli con lo sguardo rivolto al cielo; in alto circondata da nubi e da putti, l’Assunta rappresentata con un movimento spiraliforme che contraddistingue molte opere dell’artista così come una cifra stilistica personale è l’uso di colori tenui ma lividi. In basso a sinistra un ritratto che, probabilmente, raffigura il committente dell’opera. Il dinamismo interno del dipinto è intenso ma contenuto nell’espressione esterna. Il dipinto è di impronta classicistica per l’equilibrio formale degli elementi. Paladini può aver avuto una conoscenza diretta del Caravaggio probabilmente tra il 1608 e il 1610, durante un breve soggiorno del Merisi in Sicilia prima della partenza per Napoli.
Un’opera di notevole pregio del 1700 è un’ostensorio firmato dal Filippo Iuvarra, il maestro delle future aristocratiche architetture torinesi, ancora giovane orafo attivo nella bottega del padre. Juvarra concepì un disco nel quale a sbalzo si irradia una serie circolare di spighe stilizzate, al posto del più diffuso esplodere di raggi.
FACCIATA: A partire dal 1716 cominciarono i lavori per la ricostruzione della facciata di San Giorgio. Un illuminante documento riguardante la controversia tra l’architetto Francesco Paolo Labisi di Noto e il tesoriere della fabbrica Francesco Gaetano Basile del 1761 è stato utile agli storici per riformulare il problema attributivo della facciata, in precedenza, pressoché unanimemente, attribuita a Rosario Gagliardi, il più conosciuto architetto del Val di Noto e la personalità che impresse una vera e propria svolta all’Architettura Tardo Barocca in provincia di Ragusa e Siracusa. Analizzando il documento i dati che emergono dimostrano che, innanzitutto, il nuovo prospetto della chiesa inizia nel 1761 e non prima; che furono invitati per la redazione del progetto diversi architetti e tra questi Francesco Paolo Labisi e già questo è sufficiente a dare alcune risposte ad alcuni interrogativi che la storiografia architettonica aveva spesso posto. Costante, infatti, era stata la relazione posta tra la facciata della Chiesa di San Giorgio di Modica e quella omonima di Ragusa, e, avendo una data certa per quest’ultima, il 1744 e l’autore certo, Rosario Gagliardi si era sempre posto il problema della primogenitura e dell’attribuzione della facciata di San Giorgio di Modica.
Allo stato attuale delle ricerche il primo ordine della facciata fu realizzato seguendo il progetto di Paolo Labisi a partire dal 1761 (è interessante a tal proposito notare come, per la progettazione, di una importante facciata, si indisse un vero e proprio concorso di idee per scegliere il progetto più valido e suggestivo). Il Labisi è un artista dotto che coniuga il classicismo plastico gagliardiano con una decorazione rococò espressa nella frantumazione della massa muraria e nella decorazione molto più capricciosa. Qualcuno ha parlato, riferendosi alla facciata di San Giorgio di un merletto sofisticato e prezioso che il tempo non è ancora riuscito a sgranare.
La facciata fu completata nel 1848 e la data finale si legge in un cartiglio sopra il terzo ordine, dunque, il secondo e il terzo ordine potrebbero essere collocati tra il terzo e il quinto decennio dell’Ottocento e potrebbero essere stati progettati da Carmelo Cultraro uno dei protagonisti dell’architettura iblea di questi decenni.
Lo spazio antistante San Giorgio doveva avere, nel ‘700, una diversa sistemazione con terrazze naturali, orti e gradini che sono stati trasformati nell’Ottocento. L’attuale scalinata è parte integrante dello spazio scenografico di San Giorgio e venne progettata tra il 1874-75 dall’architetto Alessandro Iudica Cappellani con l’intento di collegare la città posta in alto. Lungo i fianchi della collina, e la città bassa e richiama la scenografica impostazione dellla romana Trinità dei Monti.
Con i lavori di sistemazione esterna e le decorazioni interne tra fine Ottocento e primi del Novecento si chiude la vicenda artistica della Chiesa Madre di San Giorgio, una vicenda complessa che, se storicamente parte dal Medioevo, nella attuale fisionomia si organizza tra il secolo XVI e il nostro secolo.
Le valutazioni degli storici dell’architettura sull’edificio sono state concordemente molto positive e il San Giorgio di Modica è annoverato tra le più significative opere del barocco europeo. La ricerca archivistica ha pazientemente ricostruito, negli ultimi anni, l’immagine di una cultura meridionale non chiusa e periferica ma aperta e dialogante con i più importanti centri della cultura europea.La Kramer e, successivamente, gli studi di Marco Rosario Nobile hanno evidenziato il rapporto tra la Chiesa Madre di Dresda, ad esempio, a la Chiesa di San Giorgio e sono state individuate le relazione tra l’architettura europea di regioni come Germania, Baviera e Austria e la Sicilia sud-orientale.
My take on a futuristic style ambulance, on a planet that has consistent good weather (hence the open top).
"As I was consistently gaining weight year over year, and now struggling to maintain an active lifestyle, a light bulb went off in my head. I realized that was the time to get healthy; not only to live extra years, but to have a high quality of life throughout the rest of my life. My motto from that day on became: 'My body will never be the limitation to accomplishing what my mind dreams up.' My body is the vehicle for my mind and shouldn’t be a hindrance. It should be a tank!
In January 2012, my journey back to balance began. A long time ago, when I had made the connection between a cow and beef or a pig and pork I no longer wanted to eat animal products. I always thought that if it’s possible not to eat it and be healthy, why wouldn’t I. But people kept telling me it wasn't healthy. I began researching, reading, and trying to apply all the knowledge I could get my hands on and realized that deep inside that lifelong desire to live compassionately, in harmony with nature, and my newfound quest for health were one and the same. I now knew enough to know that it’s possible to live with the harmony I’d been longing for, while also being healthy.
Having gone through a lifestyle change, I understanding that it’s a personal journey and I try to live today without oppressing my fellow human beings. So instead of beating people over the head, I choose to simply show that it’s possible to be strong and healthy without inflicting pain on other living creatures to hopefully inspire anyone that is like I was; who wants to live plant-based but believes it to be impossible.
From this desire to inspire came my journey to the stage as a fitness competitor. Because of my experience and seeing what is possible.
Harmony, balance, strength, compassion—those are the words my soul longs to live by.
Beyond the many pounds I lost, the transformation allowed my soul to be free."
- Nadege Corcoran, vegan fitness competitor. Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Well the only things that are consistent with todays scene is the station roof and background building, everything else has changed! Seen on platform one is Class 45, No 45146 in front of three parcels vehicles being loaded with the days mail. No 45146 was just stabling having come off a Trans Pennine turn previously. Siding 'A' still in place but of more interest in the background on Platform Two is the various trollies which were part of the everyday scene at that time. Oh how things have changed, for the better? Who knows! 10th December 1985.
Copyright: 8A Rail Collection (006.002)
This is another sunset shot from my great evening at Hermosa Beach back in October. I meant to post this weeks ago however the weather started becoming more consistently favorable and my shooting once again started to outpace my uploading. After such a long summer of no clouds and hazy skies, I got back into my routine a bit as soon as the weather shifted more into "Autumn".
I left to shoot relatively early--at least by my standards--and had planned to go to Laguna Beach but unexplainable early afternoon gridlock on Sunset Boulevard and all parallel streets, it soon became apparent that Laguna was out out the equation. Even worse, I had now wasted nearly an hour going very slowly in the opposite direction that I normally would. Granted, I only went a few miles out of the way but it still cost me a few other options if I wanted to arrive before sunset. I headed towards Santa Monica and figured I'd stop by there and if parking wasn't quick, would just drive the few miles over to Venice but about 20 minutes away, I changed my mind again and set the GPS to Hermosa. I had only spent a little time in Hermosa, Manhattan Beach and a few of the surrounding arounds back in January but remembered it being a place I wanted to return. I was so glad I did.
There weren't many people by the pier during the time I arrived and that also applied to the rest of the town. Almost no foot or vehicle traffic anywhere and parking was readily available adjacent to the pier which was surprising. I did intend to take about half my shots as long exposures and the rest with quicker shutter speeds and that's essentially what I did. What I didn't do was any panoramas and I basically didn't move the entire time I was shooting. My only movement was to shuffle left and right a little to avoid either the direct glare from the sun or to position the sun and shadows better and my focal length ranged mostly from 18-35mm on the evening.
About a year ago when I was still back in the DC area, I had become completely obsessed with long exposures and I vividly remember thinking that this was the type of photography I wanted to primarily do and couldn't imagine enjoying anything more. Now, out here, I try to be a bit better with my use of time and as a result, long exposures have become far less frequent and have been replaced by waves, reflection, panoramas and just a much less static representation of what I was seeing. I still love them but I also get very frustrated looking back on evenings where the ND filters rarely come off and I missed some great moments waiting for the long shots to finish processing. I still generally try to take a few longer ones (like in the 60-200 second range) but not as many as I used to since a single image on the higher end of my range might take 4+ minutes from start to finish and I could get dozens of quicker shutter speed shots in the same amount of time.
For this shot, I went with a fast speed for a variety of reasons. Since I was there first, I got the best vantage for lining up the sun with the pier and I waited a while for the sun to start falling fast right over it. I had taken some LE shots before sundown when the sky started getting colorful and planned to take more after the sun dipped beneath the horizon but I really wanted some waves and water movement and the time to fire off a bunch of shots with the sun in a few positions. I'd guess I only had a minute or so of the sun hiding behind the pier and didn't want to waste it on a likely underexposed single long exposure. When I came to the neighboring Manhattan Beach in January, I spent the ENTIRE time with with the ND filters attached to the lens and despite being very happy with the images overall, I didn't want the same thing to happen again.
I ended up with about a dozen from this one position and chose this image because it had the least amount of flaring and glare, I liked the color and pattern of waves and there was a flock of birds going by the pier. Others had a few aspects that might be slightly more interesting but also sacrificed other aspects that were more important to me. I actually do still have a handful more from this evening to post--along with some from about a half dozen trips to Venice and two to around the Hollywood Bowl Overlook--and I hope to post them a bit more. I've only shot once since Scotch had his life saving surgery and have spent most of the last few weeks monitoring him rather than photographing or reviewing images but he's doing great and getting better by the day so I do expect to start shooting more frequently again. Have a great Wednesday everyone!
WHEN & WHERE
Hermosa Beach Pier
Hermosa Beach, California
October 24th, 2016
SETTINGS
Canon T4i
EF-S 18-135mm IS STM
@35mm
ISO 100
f/9
1/80th second
CPL
Autumn foliage surrounds the Wenatchee River near Leavenworth, Washington, as the early morning October sun burns off clouds and fog in the Tumwater Canyon. This section of US Highway 2 is consistently regarded as one of the most scenic drives in the USA, as well as being one of the best places in Washington State to enjoy colorful fall foliage.
Puzzles and Prints: tom-schwabel.pixels.com
Facebook: @tomschwabelphotography
Instagram: @tomschwabelphotography
This is a copyrighted image with all rights reserved. Please don't use this image on websites, blogs, facebook, or other media without my explicit permission. See profile page for information on prints and licensing.
I trained a second version of my AI model which provides more consistent results than the first version.
Anyway, I may make a separate account for AI stuff if people are interested, so there's no confusion.
♥️♥️♥️
Explore #62 November 7, 2008
Cracks formed in the soil during a period of drought. (taken at one of my new spots)
About
- ISO 100, f22, 1/60, 10mm
- Coken P121 (ND 8)
- Saturation enhancement of blue sky
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region. Although droughts can persist for several years, even a short, intense drought can cause significant damage and harm the local economy. This global phenomenon has a widespread impact on agriculture.
Consistently voted as the world most luxuries hotel, Burj Al Arab is the marvelous attraction offering you the finest experience of the Dubai luxury and comforts. This hotel boasts some of the finest restaurants in the world and wide array of lavish activities and attractions. For More Details: goo.gl/yGCNJu
Consistently voted one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world and on a blue sky day it isn't hard to see why
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Runa Photography, Daniel © 2016
© All rights reserved, don´t use this image without my permission.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sucre, como capital histórica, resume la historia misma de Bolivia desde su fundación hasta la primera mitad del siglo XX. En este lugar se encontraba la localidad de Choquechaca, capital de la nación de los Charcas. A fines del siglo XIV, el ejército incaico conquistó esta región y convirtió a los Charcas en sus súbditos.
En 1538 llegó una expedición española proveniente del Cusco (actual Perú), capital del conquistado Imperio inca, por órdenes de Pizarro. A su mando estaba el español Pedro Anzúrez, marqués de Campo Redondo. El 29 de septiembre de 1538 fundaron sobre Choquechaca la Villa de la Plata de la Nueva Toledo. En ese lugar habitaban indígenas denominados Charcas, los cuales no opusieron resistencia a los colonizadores españoles.
Inicialmente sirvió como plaza fuerte, punto de partida de nuevas exploraciones al interior del continente. Posteriormente, durante la Colonia, esta ciudad adquirió gran importancia debido a su estratégica situación geográfica (cabecera de valle situada a 2750 msnm), su clima cálido y seco; y por la proximidad a las minas de Porco y Potosí.
En 1555, la Villa de La Plata es ascendida al rango de ciudad por decreto real de Carlos V y se le otorga la Cruz de San Andrés como estandarte, consistente en una cruz escarlata sobre fondo blanco.
Fuente: wikipedia
I am so sorry for not posting consistently! College has been so hectic, I struggle to find time to take a picture, let alone edit. This week has been insanely busy, and then I got sick. Worst. Timing. Ever. There were a couple days last week where I literally had no time to eat a proper meal. It was terrible! Plus I had an exam that week. Bleh. But I'm excited for the upcoming week! I bought some new clothes and that could help with some ideas! Woo!
Also, I. Love. VSCO presets. So. So. Much. Ahhhhh!
Anyways, thanks for stopping by and keeping up with my journey! <3 <3 <3 I will try to start uploading more consistently (or at least shoot more consistently)!
{EDIT: I am so sorry about not posting stuff in over a week! I've been crazy busy and I don't think I'll be able to post anything any time soon D: College is killing me.]
Social Media
Sometime around the 10th or 11th of December, an uncommon bird known as a Townsend's Solitaire was reported in South St. Paul. Typically, by the time I get around to chasing a rarity, I'm too late. But this bird was being reported consistently, nearly every day since. Strategically, I thought I would wait for a sunny day before trying to find it myself, and after many days of dreary weather, today was the day the clouds were finally supposed to clear. I got going early, with my sole intent of catching a decent photo of this bird –in the sun. As I left home, it was perfectly clear and I knew it would be a sunny day. But as I drove southeast, it appeared that St. Paul was STILL under heavy cloud cover! I continued anyway, thinking maybe it would clear by the time I arrived. There was actually one other birder already there before me but for some reason I decided to walk the other way first and check out the river for a bit. When I eventually came back, the other birder was leaving and I stopped and asked him if he'd seen it and he had, just 3 minutes earlier he said. So I staked out a place where it looked like he had been standing, and watched and waited. Nothing. Was I too late again? Finally I saw some movement in one of the cedar trees. Uggh, sparrows. Then I saw some other movement and when I looked with my binoculars I saw the back of a bird with dark wings with light edges. I found it! But it disappeared deep into the trees a second later. Just then, two loud, diesel locomotive engines lumbered up the train tracks right on the other side of the trees! "Great" I thought, "there's no way this bird is coming back out now!" The train crept up slowly and stopped in place directly behind the trees I was carefully watching, and I watched what looked to be a shift change as the current conductors climbed down the front of the engine and new ones boarded. It occurred to me the train engines were both painted a golden-yellow with red and black accents, and I thought maybe, maybe, if I could somehow see the bird higher up in the same tree, I could frame the shot with that yellow in the background. So I stood there, and waited, and waited. As I stood there inhaling diesel fumes, I realized the absurdity of the shot I was hoping to get, and the fact that the bird would have to come waaaay out in the open, in just the right part of the tree, close to me, and with two idling locomotives nearby. I was about to give up and had let my camera fall by my side a while ago already, when the bird popped up nearly where I had imagined it! I fired away with my camera as quickly as I could, but shockingly the bird stayed put for at least a minute if not longer, plucking juniper berries and repositioning itself to reach more of them. The sun was still refusing to show itself, but by this point I didn't really mind anymore since my timing and stroke of dumb luck had produced a more unique photo opportunity than I ever imagined when I left home. The experience was yet another lesson in the fact that you just never know what you're going to get while attempting to photograph nature. I'll share a cell phone pic in the comments showing a wider angle of the cedar trees and train. With only 2 days remaining, this will undoubtedly be my last "FOY" (first of year) bird for 2023. Kaposia Landing, Dakota County, MN 12/29/23
Bella Elephante & //elephante poses// Grand Reopening Anniversary Sale! NOW OPEN!
It's been 5 years since I've had a consistent 100% finished main store for both the stores! I'm so excited to be back with our first time ever being on a sim of our own! I've been working hard on this build for over a year but consistently on it for the past 2 months! Can't wait to have you guys come explore, take photography and shop on our fantasy, whimsical, enchanted, witchy sim!
Be sure to check out the enchanted forest and our witchy village (our witchy village will open sometime in October for spooky month!) Our sale will go on from August 31st - September 14th! 50% off for both stores all items except new releases, past gachas, gift cards and collaborations!
We will also have a 10L gift at //elephante poses// to celebrate this year being our 10th anniversary of being open and a 8L gift at Bella Elephante to celebrate our 8th anniversary of our sister store being open!
See you all there!! <3
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Aldo/124/165/23
Share any of your photos you take on the sim in our group! www.flickr.com/groups/elephante_poses/
I find it surprising that within a fairly close perimeter, say 3 miles, temperature can consistently show variation in the order of 5 or more degrees Celsius.
This particular path is really unique. I won't say "magical" because the word has accrued so many wild meanings over the ages that it's hard to avoid unintentional ambiguity. But there's definitely something out of the ordinary in this locality, and it manifests itself in taking emotional strain off one's shoulders like a gentle vacuum cleaner, and in warming the body even on cold days.
The first time I've experienced this phenomenon I didn't really notice it until I felt my gloveless hands suddenly get hot, and until I realized that my mind had been put at absolute ease—despite arriving in a state of uncomfortable agitation and not having mentally resolved the issues which had triggered it.
Then it happened again. I'd come quite relaxed this time and actually curious if I was going to relive the experience nonetheless. However, something strange occurred, almost as if a spell had been cast, and, absolutely forgetting about my plan, I was sucked into what I could now describe as a different dimension of the woodlands. Some sort of sleet or drizzle was falling, my hands got numb, and my feet instinctively retraced the steps I had taken on the previous walk. After close to an hour, a gradual sensation of thawing came over me; I forgot about the cold, my breathing became slow and even...
Half a mile later, a penetrating, unmistakable chill woke me up from the reverie. The woods were still around me, the trees silently stood guard on both sides of the path; but the ambience was different: more austere, cautious and watchful—a perfect background to the numerous chirrups and bits of birdsong: the sure, even if now only timid, harbingers of spring.
May 14, 2008
My chinchilla is so reliably cuddly, cute, warm, fuzzy, adorable, loving, loyal. He also poops reliably everywhere.
I got a Build-A-Bear box and yes, I'm one of those freaks who puts their animals into little houses.
:) He's soooo cute!!!
Suecia - Lund - Biblioteca de la Universidad
***
ENGLISH
Lund University (Swedish: Lunds universitet) is a public university, consistently ranking among the world's top 100 universities. The university, located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, traces its roots back to 1425, when a Franciscan studium generale was founded in Lund next to the Lund Cathedral, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Scandinavia. After Sweden won Scania from Denmark in the 1658 Treaty of Roskilde, the university was founded in 1666 on the location of the old studium generale next to Lund Cathedral.
Lund University has eight faculties, with additional campuses in the cities of Malmö and Helsingborg, with 42,000 students in 302 different programmes and 2,046 freestanding courses. The University has some 600 partner universities in over 70 countries and it belongs to the League of European Research Universities as well as the global Universitas 21 network.
Two major facilities for materials research are in Lund University: MAX IV, which is a world-leading[peacock term] synchrotron radiation laboratory – inaugurated in June 2016, and European Spallation Source (ESS), a new European facility that will provide up to 100 times brighter neutron beams than existing facilities today, to be opened in 2023.
The university centers on the Lundagård park adjacent to the Lund Cathedral, with various departments spread in different locations in town, but mostly concentrated in a belt stretching north from the park connecting to the university hospital area and continuing out to the northeastern periphery of the town, where one finds the large campus of the Faculty of Engineering.
Lund University library was established in 1668 at the same time as the university and is one of Sweden's oldest and largest libraries. Since 1698 it has received legal deposit copies of everything printed in the country. Today six Swedish libraries receive legal deposit copies, but only Lund and the Royal Library in Stockholm are required to keep everything for posterity. Swedish imprints make up half of the collections, which amount to 170,000 linear metres of shelving (2006). The library serves 620,000 loans per year, the staff is 200 full-time equivalents, and the 33 branch libraries house 2600 reading room desks. The current main building at Helgonabacken opened in 1907. Before that, the old building was Liberiet close to the city's cathedral. Liberiet was built as a library in the 15th century, but now serves as a cafe.
***
ESPAÑOL
La Universidad de Lund (en sueco Lunds universitet) es una de las más antiguas y prestigiosas universidades del norte de Europa y consistentemente es considerada dentro de las 100 mejores universidades del mundo. Sus orígenes se remontan al año 1425 cuando un Studium Generale franciscano fue fundado a un costado de la Catedral de Lund, lo que la convertiría en la institución de educación superior más antigua de Escandinavia, seguida por las studia generalia de Upsala en 1477 y Copenhague en 1479. Sin embargo la universidad en su forma actual no fue fundada sino hasta 1666, después de que Suecia adquiriera la región de Escania en 1658 tras el acuerdo de paz firmado con Dinamarca.
La Universidad de Lund cuenta con ocho facultades y dos campuses externos ubicados en las ciudades de Malmö and Helsingborg, con una población estudiantil de alrededor de 42.000 estudiantes distribuidos en 276 programas y alrededor de 2.200 cursos. La universidad mantiene acuerdos y relaciones internacionales con cerca de 600 otras universidades en más de 70 países y pertenece a la Liga de Universidades de Investigación Europeas así como a la red global Universitas 21.
Dos importantes instalaciones para la investigación en materiales se ubican en la Universidad de Lund: MAX IV, que se estima será un laboratorio de radiación sincrotrónica líder a nivel mundial y la Fuente Europea de Neutrones por Espalación (ESS), una instalación de la Comunidad Europea que alojará la fuente de neutrones más poderosa del mundo.
La casa central de la universidad y sus edificios más tradicionales se concentran alrededor del parque Lundagård (adyacente a la Catedral de Lund), con departamentos repartidos en diferentes ubicaciones de la ciudad pero que en su mayoría se ubican en una franja que va desde el parque hacia el norte, conectando con la zona del hospital universitario y continuando hasta el campus de la Facultad de Ingeniería en la periferia noreste de la ciudad.
La siesta es una costumbre consistente en descansar algunos minutos (entre veinte y treinta, por lo general, pero puede llegar a durar un par de horas) después de haber tomado el almuerzo, entablando un corto sueño con el propósito de reunir energías para el resto de la jornada.
No se trata solamente de una costumbre española, sino que también tiene una explicación biológica. Es una consecuencia natural del descenso de la sangre después de la comida desde el sistema nervioso al sistema digestivo, lo que provocaba una consiguiente somnolencia.
Yet again another late entry from me, but hey, at least I'm consistent!! :P
It's certainly no secret that I love coffee, I adore the stuff, I can't start my day without it, which led me to create this image. I said last week that I wasn't going to spend any money this week... I lied! I also said that I wasn't going to be so hard on myself and take it easier... I lied again! Doh.
If I'm being honest I didn't like this weeks theme, I struggled too come up with a half-decent idea and really lacked inspiration. Just like last week I didn't come up with this idea until Thursday evening and then shot on Friday night so the image is a bit last minute again.
Strobist:
Canon 580exII camera right 45° up high with Bowens shoot-through umbrella - set to 1/16.
Canon 430exII camera left 145° with snoot and red gel - set to 1/32.
PLEASE DO NOT leave "awards or graphics" I'm really not interested in them, they will only be deleted so it is a waste of mine and your own time. I'd much rather some crit and words of advise, thank you.
And the mystery continues! Will he ever stick to a post schedule? Will he ever make consistent builds? Who IS this mysterious, lazy man?!
Find out on the __(st)(nd)(rd)(th) of ______!
Pic de Carroi, central communication mountain on top of Andorra la Vella. View from Els Cortals, Encamp parroquia, Vall d'Orient, Andorra, Pyrenees - (c) Lutz Meyer
More Els Cortal, Encamp, Andorra, Pyrenees: Follow the group links at right side.
.......
About this image:
* Half frame format 3x2 image
* Usage: Large format prints optional
* Motive is suitable as symbol pic
* "Andorra authentic" edition (20 years 2004-2024)
* "Andorra camis & rutes" active collection
* Advanced metadata functionality on dynamic websites or apps -
* for large metadata-controlled business collections: photo-archives, travel agencies, tourism editiorials
We offer 200.000+ photos of Andorra and North of Spain. 20.000+ visable here at Flickr. Its the largest professional image catalog of Andorra: all regions, all cities and villages, all times, all seasons, all weather(s). Consistent for additional advanced programming. For smartphones and web-db. REAL TIME!
It's based on GeoCoded stock-photo images and metadata with 4-5 languages. Prepared for easy systematic organising of large image portfolios with advanced online / print-publishing as "Culture-GIS" (Geographic Info System).
More information about usage, tips, how-to, conditions: www.flickr.com/people/lutzmeyer/. Get quality, data consistency, stable organisation and PR environments: Professional stockphotos for exciting stories - docu, tales, mystic.
Ask for licence! lutz(at)lutz-meyer.com
(c) Lutz Meyer, all rights reserved. Do not use this photo without license.
Love is any of a number of emotions related to a sense of strong affection and attachment. The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure ("I loved that meal") to intense interpersonal attraction ("I love my wife"). This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states.
Life has ups and downs. If you are a loving parent, you will realize that if you are just consistently there for your child, whether it is picking them up for school, giving them a hug, or just being physically present. They will be at peace. They will be able to overcome any challenges in life because they know you will be there. It is something that I have started noticing the older she gets. I really enjoyed spending this trip with my family, and most importantly my child. She is 8, and growing up faster than I can keep up with. I will insert the story of this trip that I had posted to my personal page. Great experience.
"I had planned a long road trip to San Diego to visit my sister and to shoot a wedding in Laguna Beach. I was a couple days behind my schedule. It was Monday morning, I was set to leave. I pulled over in a store parking lot after filling up the cooler with food for the drive. The gps said 20 hours to go. It was 1130am. I decided to look online for flights to LA. Round trip tickets for my daughter and I were close to 2 grand. I decided to check Vegas, and found a round trip set of tickets for a total of 400. It said 9 spots remaining and the flight would be taking off in 45 minutes. I text my sister and she said she would drop everything and drive 5 hours to Vegas! So we sped across town and got to the airport about 1140. I grabbed my camera bag and my daughters hand. With only the clothes on our backs, we raced inside with laughter and our hearts racing. The lovely lady at the ticket counter was equally excited to try and make this happen for us. She blitzed through the process and we raced to security. We made it just in time. I feel so lucky to wing it with this little explorer. " Thanks to my sister for helping snap this shot.
it was drizzling pretty consistently, Saxon fresh out of his 2 week confinement after knee surgery that wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Even though he has a ball there, I didn't actually throw it for him (well, okay, I did once, he's fine) but he was happy with just carrying it everywhere, while Biscuit got a few retrieves and Treacle dragged my mum along with the long line, rabbit hunting ... actually she took off as soon as we got there, no line on, and we had to chase her down to put it on, she's so naughty, gonna get herself into trouble ...
Se trata de adivinar el lugar de la fotografia.....
La devoción a Nuestra Señora de la Peña procede de una vieja leyenda medieval que narra cómo la Virgen, rodeada de un gran resplandor y durante una noche veraniega, se apareció a la princesa mora Elima, hija de Almamún. De inmediato, ésta hizo llamar a todo su séquito, que corrió apresurado al lugar, donde encontrarían una imagen de María con el Niño Jesús en sus brazos.
La Imagen de Nuestra Señora de la Peña es una talla sedente, de raro mérito, que según los estudios de la Iconografía sagrada, pertenece al siglo XII; lleva en su brazo izquierdo el Niño Jesús y en su mano derecha una fruta, características de las Imágenes de aquella época. La piedad la ha revestido de manto riquísimo según en nuestros días se la venera, perdiendo en mérito artístico lo que gana en devoción.
Retablos de María con Jesús Niño. Morfología y estructura de un retablo cerámico
Podemos distinguir desde los de ejecución más simple, consistentes en un panel de azulejos sencillos a partir de 12 piezas (aunque los hay de tres e incluso de una) orlados por un verduguillo o guardapolvo, que solemos encontrar en viviendas particulares, hasta dispositivos arquitectónicos complejos, de gran formato, con figuras moldeadas e incluso esculturas, cubiertos por tejaroz y dotados de iluminación, que son los que encontramos por lo general adosados a la fachada de los templos.
La forma del retablo cerámico predominante es la rectangular en vertical, aunque también los hay en horizontal, circulares, con perfiles irregulares a base de azulejos recortados, rematados por arcos de medio punto. Algunos presentan un marco arquitectónico para realzar la hornacina donde se plasma la imagen devocional, que puede estar realizado completamente en cerámica, o bien puede hacerse de ladrillo tallado, molduras de escayola, cemento o piedra o bien un marco de cerrajería artística. El estilo artístico que predomina es el neobarroco.
Hay una diferencia fundamental en este retablo cerámico de tema religioso del siglo XX con el de épocas anteriores. En el retablo cerámico devocional de este siglo la imagen representada es copia fiel de la escultura o pintura que se venera en el interior de la iglesia
El retablo cerámico devocional cumple la función de recordatorio al viandante cuando el templo donde se venera la imagen esté cerrado
Un carrusel, tiovivo o calesita es un medio de diversión consistente en una plataforma rotatoria con asientos para los pasajeros. Tradicionalmente los "asientos" poseen formas de caballos de madera u otros animales, los cuales en muchos casos son desplazados mecánicamente hacia arriba y hacia abajo para simular el galope de un caballo. Normalmente, la música se repite mientras el carrusel da vueltas.
Aunque los carruseles modernos están fundamentalmente compuestos de caballos, los carruseles de periodos anteriores a menudo incluían diversas variedades de animales, como perros, caballos, conejos, cerdos y ciervos, por nombrar algunos.
Cualquier plataforma rotatoria también se puede llamar carrusel. En un parque de ocio, un tiovivo es normalmente simple, la plataforma rotatoria es impulsada por los niños con barras o tiradores con los que los niños pueden agarrarse mientras corren. En un aeropuerto, las cintas transportadoras en la zona de recogida de equipajes se suelen llamar carruseles.
En EE. UU., México y Argentina, el carrusel o calesita va en sentido antihorario. En muchos países europeos (Reino Unido, Holanda, etc), los carruseles van en sentido contrario (horario). Las razones para ello son objeto de especulación.
Swan Street is in the village of Kingsclere in Hampshire. The street has traditional houses, consistent with descriptions, such as Grade II Listed properties and period features like exposed timbers. Swan Street is noted as being architecturally significant within Kingsclere, which aligns with the character and style of the buildings visible in the image.
Swan Street is part of the B3051 road which is mostly a rural B-road, mostly in north Hampshire.
It starts in the narrow streets of Overton at traffic lights with the B3400 and heads in a northerly direction, crossing the main West of England Main Line near Overton Station. It continues along a hilly road, including a summit at White Hill, with no more villages until Kingsclere is reached.
The B3051 passes through the village of Kingsclere and crosses the A339 bypass by a staggered crossroads. It then climbs Little Knowl Hill to the village of Ashford Hill, where it descends and turns easterly to Brimpton Common, entering Berkshire en route.
A straight road follows until the B3051 terminates at Heath End at a roundabout on the A340.
Kingsclere is a large village and civil parish situated between Newbury and Basingstoke. It is located in a rural setting, surrounded by chalk hills, natural springs, and open farmland. Kingsclere has a rich history, with its origins potentially traceable back to King Alfred's time (between 872 and 888 AD), and the name "clere" possibly meaning "bright" or "clearing". It was historically part of the Crown's ancient demesne (a piece of land attached to a manor). St Mary's Church is a Norman church (12th century) known for its interesting features, including the "Bed Bug" weather vane. Kingsclere Park is a business park with high-quality self-contained business units in a rural setting. Kingsclere Stables is a renowned horse racing stable with a long history in the sport, associated with the Balding family.
Kingsclere offers various activities, including walks like the Kingsclere Walk and sections of the Wayfarers Walk. It also has local amenities such as the Kingsclere Church of England Primary School and establishments like Bel & The Dragon. The village is known for its community spirit and dog-friendly environment, with numerous walking trails.
Singapore Zoo ranks consistently (after San Diego Zoo) as one of the best in the world.
There are currently about 300 species of animals across 28 hectares of lush rainforest. This is possible without a feeling of crowding because of the layering, with lemurs wandering freely, and orangutans and gibbons swinging high above the ground while the visitors watch from below.
For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/teeth-claws-and-colou...
.
Este es último album hasta la fecha de Anthony Hamilton y en mi opinión el más consistente y soulful. Por fortuna, parece que ha decidido centrarse en el SOUL con letras mayúsculas, dejando a un lado sus ocasionales filtreos anteriores con el R&B urbano.
El tema más celebrado entre los buenos aficionados al "Real Soul" ha sido sin duda Change your world, un impecable ejercicio de estilo que nos retrotrae a los mágicos grupos vocales de los 70 como los Manhattans o Delfonics. No voy a ser yo quien lleve la contraría a tanta alabanza, efectivamente es una joya. Afortunadamente, el resto es más que aprovechable, y gana con sucesivas escuchas (a este Cd hay que darle cierto tiempo para asimilarlo como es debido).
Sin tener una voz que me entusiasme, un tanto "nasal" para mi gusto (eso sí, en la escuela de Bill Whiters y no en la de MTV), Hamilton se presenta al día de hoy y en el futuro más inmediato como un Soulman más que respetable. Lo que más me gusta de este su último disco es que se puede escuchar de principio a fin sin problemas, algo poco frecuente en el panorama actual.
Además del citado, otros momentos álgidos del album son "Can´t let go", "Pass me Over", el guiño jamaicano de "Everybody" "y "Preacher´s Daughter", deudora del mejor Gil Scott Heron.
Final Project:
You will be required to work on a project that includes photographing (a minimum of) five different individuals in the style of your choice. Once you have selected the style, keep it consistent throughout the series.
You will also need:
1. an establishing shot (an image that tells us something about your idea. For example if you were to do a series of chefs the establishing shot could be a close-up of a measuring spoons.)
2. a self-portrait, with a brief artist statement
Side Note: A lot of thing didn't come through like I had wanted. Had flakey models, then scored on a really expressive friend of a friend, and I got these new to me models that showed up and kicked ass, then I got severely sick and ended up in urgent care Monday, etc. But hopefully I was able to get domestic abuse portrayed like I wanted to. I decided not to try for sexual abuse because no matter how I tried it, it could be construed as porn, and that isn't something I wish to ever touch upon.
Artist's Statement:
Emmy's work is influenced by elements in the world that most people consider to be imperfect, broken, or weak. She builds upon imperfection because it is the only true indicator of character and beauty. She captures imperfection as the summit of her art. She is inspired by things that surround her every day, and uses them as a creative base. As the proud divorced, single mother of five closely spaced children she has no shortage of material from which to draw.
With her work, it is difficult to ignore the obvious experience and background Emmy has in graphic design. In addition to photography and graphic design, she is an entrepreneur, business ideas person, CEO of a small assessment corporation, movie scriptwriter, mother, and friend to all, even those pesky telemarketers if they happen to catch her on the telephone at home.
The most important thing to Emmy is the opportunity to create art. To be an artist, even an unknown one, is more important to her than going forth and finding notoriety. She feels the only way for her to create is to continue growing as an artist whether by introducing new techniques, new mediums, or a combination of both. Her primary focus is on creating art that reaches across boundaries. She creates art that speaks figuratively and demands its own place within its world. She tries to create art that will link people to her, and with her.
Fast Facts on Domestic Violence
Battering on women is the most under reported crime in America.
Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the United States; more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. "Violence Against Women, A Majority Staff Report," Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, 102nd Congress, October 1992, p.3.
Three to four million women in the United States are beaten in their homes each year by their husbands, ex-husbands, or male lovers. "Women and Violence," Hearings before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, August 29 and December 11, 1990, Senate Hearing 101-939, pt. 1, p. 12.
One woman is beaten by her husband or partner every 15 seconds in the United States. Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1991.
About 1 out of 4 women are likely to be abused by a partner in her lifetime. Sara Glazer, "Violence, Against Women" CO Researcher, Congressional Quarterly, Inc., Volume 3, Number 8, February, 1993, p. 171.
Approximately 95% of the victims of domestic violence are women. Statistics, National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women, Ruth Peachey, M.D. 1988.
Police report that between 40% and 60% of the calls they receive, especially on the night shift, are domestic violence disputes. Carrillo, Roxann "Violence Against Women: An Obstacle to Development," Human Development Report, 1990.
Battering occurs among people of all races, ages, socio-economic classes, religious affiliations, occupations, and educational backgrounds.
Fifty percent of all homeless women and children in this country are fleeing domestic violence. Senator Joseph Biden, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Violence Against Women: Victims of the System, 1991.
A battering incident is rarely an isolated event.
Battering tends to increase and become more violent over time.
Many batterers learned violent behavior growing up in an abusive family.
25% - 45% of all women who are battered are battered during pregnancy.
Domestic violence does not end immediately with separation. Over 70% of the women injured in domestic violence cases are injured after separation.
Domestic violence is not only physical and sexual violence but also psychological. Psychological violence means intense and repetitive degradation, creating isolation, and controlling the actions or behaviors of the spouse through intimidation or manipulation to the detriment of the individual. "Five Year State Master Plan for the Prevention of and Service for Domestic Violence." Utah State Department of Human Services, January 1994.
Final Project:
You will be required to work on a project that includes photographing (a minimum of) five different individuals in the style of your choice. Once you have selected the style, keep it consistent throughout the series.
You will also need:
1. an establishing shot (an image that tells us something about your idea. For example if you were to do a series of chefs the establishing shot could be a close-up of a measuring spoons.)
2. a self-portrait, with a brief artist statement
Side Note: A lot of thing didn't come through like I had wanted. Had flakey models, then scored on a really expressive friend of a friend, and I got these new to me models that showed up and kicked ass, then I got severely sick and ended up in urgent care Monday, etc. But hopefully I was able to get domestic abuse portrayed like I wanted to. I decided not to try for sexual abuse because no matter how I tried it, it could be construed as porn, and that isn't something I wish to ever touch upon.
Artist's Statement:
Emmy's work is influenced by elements in the world that most people consider to be imperfect, broken, or weak. She builds upon imperfection because it is the only true indicator of character and beauty. She captures imperfection as the summit of her art. She is inspired by things that surround her every day, and uses them as a creative base. As the proud divorced, single mother of five closely spaced children she has no shortage of material from which to draw.
With her work, it is difficult to ignore the obvious experience and background Emmy has in graphic design. In addition to photography and graphic design, she is an entrepreneur, business ideas person, CEO of a small assessment corporation, movie scriptwriter, mother, and friend to all, even those pesky telemarketers if they happen to catch her on the telephone at home.
The most important thing to Emmy is the opportunity to create art. To be an artist, even an unknown one, is more important to her than going forth and finding notoriety. She feels the only way for her to create is to continue growing as an artist whether by introducing new techniques, new mediums, or a combination of both. Her primary focus is on creating art that reaches across boundaries. She creates art that speaks figuratively and demands its own place within its world. She tries to create art that will link people to her, and with her.
Fast Facts on Domestic Violence
Battering on women is the most under reported crime in America.
Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the United States; more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. "Violence Against Women, A Majority Staff Report," Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, 102nd Congress, October 1992, p.3.
Three to four million women in the United States are beaten in their homes each year by their husbands, ex-husbands, or male lovers. "Women and Violence," Hearings before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, August 29 and December 11, 1990, Senate Hearing 101-939, pt. 1, p. 12.
One woman is beaten by her husband or partner every 15 seconds in the United States. Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1991.
About 1 out of 4 women are likely to be abused by a partner in her lifetime. Sara Glazer, "Violence, Against Women" CO Researcher, Congressional Quarterly, Inc., Volume 3, Number 8, February, 1993, p. 171.
Approximately 95% of the victims of domestic violence are women. Statistics, National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women, Ruth Peachey, M.D. 1988.
Police report that between 40% and 60% of the calls they receive, especially on the night shift, are domestic violence disputes. Carrillo, Roxann "Violence Against Women: An Obstacle to Development," Human Development Report, 1990.
Battering occurs among people of all races, ages, socio-economic classes, religious affiliations, occupations, and educational backgrounds.
Fifty percent of all homeless women and children in this country are fleeing domestic violence. Senator Joseph Biden, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Violence Against Women: Victims of the System, 1991.
A battering incident is rarely an isolated event.
Battering tends to increase and become more violent over time.
Many batterers learned violent behavior growing up in an abusive family.
25% - 45% of all women who are battered are battered during pregnancy.
Domestic violence does not end immediately with separation. Over 70% of the women injured in domestic violence cases are injured after separation.
Domestic violence is not only physical and sexual violence but also psychological. Psychological violence means intense and repetitive degradation, creating isolation, and controlling the actions or behaviors of the spouse through intimidation or manipulation to the detriment of the individual. "Five Year State Master Plan for the Prevention of and Service for Domestic Violence." Utah State Department of Human Services, January 1994.
The building stands on the corner of Houston & Mulberry with each window consistently changing color, continuously creating a different effect.
Thank you to my dear Flash,SL's best horse avatar bar none! You are simply a definition of loyalty. ♥
A distant view of Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park, Tasmania, Australia. Wineglass Bay is consistently voted one of the 10 top beaches in the world by the travel magazines.
Consistent light, fewer human explorers and a longer exposure brings out the colors surrounding the Delicate Arch after the sun goes down.
Sintra is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 377,835, in an area of 319.23 square kilometres (123.26 sq mi). Sintra is one of the most urbanized and densely populated municipalities of Portugal and hosts several cities albeit the seat of the municipality is the town of Sintra proper. A major tourist destination famed for its picturesqueness, the municipality has several historic palaces, castles, scenic beaches, parks and gardens.
The area includes the Sintra-Cascais Nature Park through which the Sintra Mountains run. The historic center of the Vila de Sintra is famous for its 19th-century Romanticist architecture, historic estates and villas, gardens, and royal palaces and castles, which resulted in the classification of the town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sintra's landmarks include the medieval Castle of the Moors, the romanticist Pena National Palace and the Portuguese Renaissance Sintra National Palace.
Sintra is one of the wealthiest and most expensive municipalities in both Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula as a whole It is home to one of the largest foreign expat communities along the Portuguese Riviera and consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Portugal The earliest remnants of human occupation were discovered in Penha Verde: these vestiges testify to an occupation dating to the early Paleolithic. Comparable remnants were discovered in an open-air site in São Pedro de Canaferrim, alongside the chapel of the Castelo dos Mouros (Moorish Castle), dating back to the Neolithic, and include decorated ceramics and microlithic flint utensils from the 5th millennium BC.
Ceramic fragments found locally including many late Chalcolithic vases from the Sintra mountains suggest that between the fourth and third millennia B.C. the region (adjacent to the present village of Sintra) was occupied by a Neolithic/Chalcolithic settlement, with characteristics comparable to fortified settlements in Lisbon and Setúbal. The evidence discovered in Quinta das Sequoias and São Pedro de Canaferrim contrasts dramatically with those remnants discovered in the walled town of Penha Verde and the funerary monument of Bella Vista. Traces of several Bronze Age remains were also discovered in many places in the Sintra Mountains, including alongside the town, in the Monte do Sereno area, and a late Bronze Age settlement within the Moorish Castle dating to the 9th–6th centuries B.C.
The most famous object from this period is the so-called Sintra Collar, a middle Bronze Age gold neck-ring found near the city at the end of the nineteenth century, which since 1900 has been part of the British Museum's collection. Relatively close by, in Santa Eufémia da Serra, is an Iron Age settlement where artifacts from indigenous tribes and peoples of Mediterranean origins (principally from the Punic period) were also discovered.
These date from the early 4th century B.C., prior to the Romanization of the peninsula, which in the area of Foz do Tejo took place in the middle of the 2nd century B.C. Close proximity to a large commercial centre (Olisipo) founded by the Turduli Oppidani people in the first half of the first millennium B.C., meant that the region of Sintra was influenced by human settlement throughout various epochs, cultures that have left remains in the area to this day. The toponym Sintra derives from the medieval Suntria, and points to an association with radical Indo-European cultures; the word translates into "bright star" or "sun", commonly significant in those cultures Marcus Terentius Varro and Cadizian Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella designated the place "the sacred mountain" and Ptolemy referred to it as the "mountains of the moon"
Part of the Roman Dam of Belas complex, showing the ventilation structures (foreground) and the remaining dam segment (background).
During the Roman occupation of the peninsula, the region of Sintra was part of the vast Civitas Olisiponense which Caesar (around 49 B.C.) or more likely Octavius (around 30 B.C.) granted the status of Municipium Civium Romanorum. The various residents of the region were considered part of the Roman Galeria and in the present village of Sintra there are Roman remains testifying to a Roman presence from the 1st–2nd centuries B.C. to the 5th century A.D. A roadway along the southeast part of the Sintra Mountains and connected to the main road to Olisipo dates from this period.
Roman Bridge of Catribana.
This via followed the route of the current Rua da Ferraria, the Calçada dos Clérigos and the Calçada da Trindade. Following the Roman custom of siting tombs along their roads and near their homes, there is also evidence of inscriptions pertaining to Roman funeral monuments, dating mainly to the 2nd century. The area around the modern town of Sintra, due to its proximity to Olisipo, the ancient name of Lisbon, was always profoundly interconnected with the major settlement, to the point that the Fountain of Armés, a 1st-century fountain in the village of Armés, Terrugem, in Sintra, has been built by Lucius Iulius Maelo Caudicus, an Olisipo flamen, to honour the Roman Emperor Augustus.
It was during the Moorish occupation of Sintra (Arabic: Xintara) that Greco-Latin writers wrote of the explicit occupation of the area of the town centre. A description by the geographer Al-Bacr, described Sintra as "one of the towns that [are] dependent on Lisbon in Al-Andalus, in proximity to the sea", characterizing it as "permanently submersed in a fog that never dissipates".
During the Reconquista (around the 9th century), its principal centre and castle were isolated by Christian armies. Following the fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba, the King of Léon, Alfonso VI received in the spring of 1093, the cities of Santarém, Lisbon and the Castle of Sintra. This followed a period of internal instability within the Muslim taifas of the peninsula, and in particular the decision by the ruler of Taifa of Badajoz, Umar ibn Muhammad al-Mutawakkil who, after hesitating from 1090 to 1091, placed his territory under the suzerainty of Alfonso VI when faced with the threat of the Almoravids. Afonso took the cities and the castle of Sintra between 30 April and 8 May 1093, but shortly after their transfer Sintra and Lisbon were conquered by the Almoravids. Santarém was saved by Henry, who Alfonso VI of León and Castile nominated Count of Portugal in 1096, to replace Raymond of Burgundy
The remnants of the chapel of São Pedro de Canaferrim, constructed by Afonso Henriques following the surrender of Moors in Sintra
In July 1109, Count Henry reconquered the Castle of Sintra This was preceded a year before by an attempt by Prince Sigurd the Crusader, son of Magnus III of Norway, to capture the castle from the Moors in the course of his trek to the Holy Land. Sigurd's forces disembarked at the mouth of the Colares River but failed to take the castle. But it was only after the conquest of Lisbon, in October 1147, by Afonso Henriques (supported by Crusaders), that the castle surrendered definitely to the Christians, in November. It was integrated into Christian dominions along with Almada and Palmela after their surrender. Afonso Henriques established the Church of São Pedro de Canaferrim within the walls of the Moorish Castle to mark his success.
The municipal building of Sintra, constructed after 1154 to house the local administration
On 9 January 1154, Afonso Henriques signed a foral ("charter") for the town of Sintra, with all its respective regalia. The charter established the municipality of Sintra, whose territory encompassed a large area, eventually divided into four great parishes: São Pedro de Canaferrim (in the castle), São Martinho (in the town of Sintra), Santa Maria and São Miguel (in the ecclesiastical seat of Arrabalde). The early municipal seat, the town of Sintra, was the centre of a significant Sephardic community, with a synagogue and quarter. This community was not limited to Sintra town: enclaves are mentioned during the reign of King Denis in Colares, but were heavily pressured by the influx of Christian serfs. Throughout the 12th and 13th centuries, owing to the fertility of the land, various convents, monasteries and military orders constructed residences, estates, water-mills and vineyards. There are municipal records from this period of a number of donations and grants; between 1157 and 1158, Afonso Henriques donated to the master of the Knights Templar, Gualdim Pais, various houses and estates in the centre of Sintra.
In 1210, the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra acquired four houses in Pocilgais, releasing them in 1230, while in 1264 it controlled homes and vineyards in Almargem. In 1216 the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora (Lisbon) also held a vineyard in Colares and, in 1218, estates in Queluz and Barota. At some time between 1223 and 1245, the Monastery of Santa Maria de Alcobaça held various privileges in the territory. The military Order of Santiago owned an estate in Arrifana in 1260 Many of Afonso Henriques' donations in the 12th century, including privileges assigned to these institutions, were confirmed in 1189 by his son, Sancho I (1185–1211), corresponding to a social, political and economic strategy during the post-Reconquista era. Consequently, after 1261, Sintra had a local administration consisting of an alcalde representing the Crown, and two local judges elected by the public. During the political conflict between King Sancho II (1223–1248) and the Church, the churches of São Pedro and São Martinho, which belonged to the King, were ceded to the Bishop of Lisbon and Sé. Yet the Crown's patrimony was defined early: in 1287, King Denis donated to Queen Elizabeth of Portugal the town, the signeurial holdings and all their associated benefits. Later, these lands were transferred to the young Infante Afonso (later King Afonso IV), and remained in his possession until 1334, before reverting to the ownership of the queen (Portuguese: Casa da Rainha).
The Black Death arrived in Sintra in the 14th century; in 1350, the disease is known to have caused the death of five municipal scribes. Far greater numbers of deaths probably resulted, perhaps owing to the cool climate and humidity, conditions that favoured the rapid spread of the disease
The Palace of Sintra, for a long time the residence of royal family during the summer
During the reign of King Ferdinand (1367–1383), Sintra played a part in the controversial marriage of the monarch to Dona Leonor Telles de Menezes. In 1374, the King donated Sintra to the Lady Telles, whom he eventually married in secret in the north of the country. Along with Sintra the King conceded the municipalities of Vila Viçosa, Abrantes and Almada, to the consternation of his private council; following a confrontation the King abandoned his duties and travelled to Sintra, where he remained for a month on the pretext of hunting. As Sintra was located relatively close to Lisbon, many of its people were called to work on projects for the Crown in the capital: in 1373, King Ferdinand decided to wall the city, and requested funds or workers from coastal lands in Almada, Sesimbra, Palmela, Setúbal, Coina, Benavente and Samora Correia, as well as all of Ribatejo, and from the inland areas of Sintra, Cascais, Torres Vedras, Alenquer, Arruda, Atouguia, Lourinhã, Telheiros and Mafra. During the Dynastic Crisis between 1383–1385, Sintra joined Leonor Telles in supporting the proclamation of her daughter, Beatrice, who married John I of Castile, as Queen of Portugal and Castile. After the defeat of the Castilian army at Aljubarrota (August 1385) by Portuguese and English troops, commanded by Nuno Álvares Pereira, Sintra became one of the last places to surrender to the Master of Aviz, later King of Portugal (after 1383).
Joanine and Philippine era
John I (1385–1433), first King of the second dynasty, broke the tradition of transferring Sintra to the Casa da Rainha (Queen's property). Probably around 1383, John I granted the lands of Sintra to Count Henrique Manuel de Vilhena, quickly revoking the decision after Henrique took the Infanta's side during the dynastic quarrel. Sintra, therefore, continued as a possession of the King, who expanded the local estate. Until the end of the 17th century, the royal palace constituted one of the principal residences and summer estates of the court: it was from here that John decided to conquer Ceuta (1415); King Afonso V was born and died at the palace (1433–1481); and here King John II (1481–1495) was acclaimed sovereign.
In a document issued in 1435 by King Edward (1433–1438), the region was described as: "A land of good air and water and of the Comarcas with an abundance in the sea and land [...] our most loyal city of Lisbon being so near, and being in it sufficient diversions, and the distractions of the mountains and hunting...".
During the Portuguese Age of Discovery, several people born in Sintra were written into history. In 1443 Gonçalo de Sintra, squire in the House of the Infante Henry, was sent by the prince as captain of a caravel to the coast of Africa. He explored the region near the Ouro River and eventually died there in 1444. Pedro de Sintra and Soeiro da Costa later mapped most of the Atlantic coast of Africa, around the time of Henry's death in 1460
At the end of the 15th century the importance of Sintra on official itineraries led Queen Eleanor of Viseu (wife of King John II), then principal benefactor of the Portuguese Misericóridas, to expand her principal institutions in Sintra. The Hospital e Gafaria do Espírito Santo, the only remnant of which left standing is a chapel to São Lázaro, was constructed to provide assistance and support to lepers in the region (the chapel still includes the signets of King John, the pelican, and Queen Leonor, the shrimp). In 1545, the hospital was transferred to the administration of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Sintra which was set up by Queen Catherine of Austria, wife of John III.
King Manuel I (1495–1521) enjoyed spending his summers in Sintra, due to its cool climate and abundance of game; as Damião de Góis, his chronicler noted: "because it is one of the places in Europe that is cooler, and cheerful for whichever King, Prince or Master to pass their time, because, in addition to its good airs, that cross its mountains, called by the older peoples the promontory of the moon, there is here much hunting of deer and other animals, and overall many and many good trout of many type, and in which in all of Hispania there can be found, and many springs of water...". Between the 15th and 16th century, after travelling to the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon when being considered as heir to the Kingdoms in 1498, the King transformed and enriched the town and its region with several public works. These included the reconstruction of the old Gothic Church of São Martinho and in 1511 the construction of the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena on the highest peak of the Sintra Mountains, which he then transferred to the Order of Saint Jerome. In the second half of the 16th century, Sintra was a centre for courtesans and members of the aristocracy began building estates and farms within the region. In this rural environment, from 1542, the Viceroy of India, D. João de Castro(1500–1548) began residing at Quinta da Penha Verde, where he collected examples of Portuguese culture of the time, including works by celebrated artist Francisco de Holanda. It was during this cultural Renaissance that the marble chancel sculpted between 1529 and 1532 by Nicolau Chanterene for the chapel of the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena was completed, as was the portico of the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Ulgueira (1560).
The Convent of the Capuchos, the monastic retreat established during the primordial history of the municipality (XVI century)
Luís de Camões (1524–1580) referred to the mountains of Sintra in his Os Lusíadas chronicle, as a mythic land ruled by water nymphs. The Renaissance poet Luisa Sigea—Syntrae Aloisiae Sygeae in Paris (1566) and Madrid (1781) referred to Sintra as a "pleasant valley, between cliffs that rise into the heavens...curved in graceful hills among which one can feel the murmur of the waters...[where] everything, in fact, will enchant and perfume the environment with its fragrance and fruit.
With the death of the Cardinal-King Henry (1578–1580), Philip II of Spain inherited the Kingdom of Portugal, initiating a personal union of the crowns that would last until 1640. During this period, Portuguese political power moved from Sintra to Vila Viçosa, principal centre of the House of Braganza, whose dukes, descendants of John of Portugal, were heirs to the throne of Portugal. Following the decision of the Cortes of Tomar in 1581, Phillip as King of Portugal accepted an administration composed of the Portuguese aristocracy. He passed through Sintra around October 1581, visiting the monasteries and churches. It was during this period that cult of Sebastianism, the hope for the return of King Sebastian, came to an end, when several fake "Sebastians" were denounced. In 1585 Mateus Alvares, born on the island of Terceira in the Azores and guardian of the hermitage of São Julio, passed himself off as King Sebastian and created conflict in Sintra, Madra, Rio de Mouro and Ericeira. The Sebastian adventure ended with the hanging of thirty people and the suffering of many more. It was not surprising, therefore, that the visit in 1619 by King Phillip IV of Spain (Phillip III of Portugal) resulted in many families escaping to the hills. During this union (1580–1640), Sintra was a privileged place for Portuguese "exiles" from the Castilian court; nobles who wished to distance themselves from Spanish nobility would purchase lands in the region, away from court intrigu.
Royal Palace of Queluz.
The war with Spain (1640–1668), the affirmation of Mafra during the reign of John V of Portugal (1706–1750) through the construction of the Palace-Convent, and later the construction of Royal Palace of Queluz in 1747 during the reigns of Joseph I (1750–1777) and Maria I (1777–1816), helped diminish royal visits to the region. During this time there were only two documented visits: in 1652 and 1654, respectively the visit of Queen Luísa de Gusmão and King John IV (1640–1656), and the final burial of King Afonso VI.
Ill-fated king Afonso VI imprisoned in the Palace of Sintra, by painter Alfredo Roque Gameiro.
Alleging the insanity of the King and the incapacity of the heir, the Duke of Cadaval and the Infante Peter led a coup d'état in 1667 which resulted in the resignation of the Count of Castelo Melhor, Minister of King Afonso VI (1656-1683) and the imprisonment of the monarch. In 1668 the Cortes of Lisbon confirmed the Infante Peter, the king's brother, as regent and heir. Afonso VI lived the rest of his life imprisoned, in the Paço da Ribeira (1667–1669), in the Fortress of Saint John the Baptist in Angra, in the Azores (1669–1674) and in the end, with the discovery of a conspiracy to kill the regent, in the Paço da Vila in Sintra (1674–1683).
From the 17th to the 18th centuries, the region was centre of contemplative religious orders who established convents in Sintra. But it remained a place of myths, with a large, mysterious forest and macabre, gloomy spaces. Father Baião, in his Portugal Cuidadoso (1724) noted: "Next to the Palace of Sintra was a forest, so thick, that during the day, it cast fear in him who entered it. And [King] D. Sebastian was free from these fears, that he would walk at night, through it, many times for two or three hours." Starting in the second half of the 18th century and lasting through the 19th century Sintra became known as a nostalgic and mysterious location described by many foreigners.
Lord Byron (1788 – 1824) particularly enjoyed his stay in Sintra that is described in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage as "glorious Eden".
It was the Romantic Lord Byron's "glorious Eden"; Almeida Garrett's "pleasant resort"; Eça de Queirós's "nest of lovers [where, in] the romantic foliage, the nobles abandoned themselves in the hands of the poets"; or the place where Richard Strauss saw a garden "comparable to Italy, Sicily, Greece or Egypt, a true garden of Klingsor, and there in the heights, a castle of the Holy Grail".
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, meanwhile, caused the destruction of the centre of Sintra as well as a number of deaths, resulting in building and restoration in the second half of the 18th century. Also in the 18th century, the first industrial building was established in the town: the Fábrica de Estamparia de Rio de Mouro (Mouro River Stamping Factory) in 1778.
The front façade of Seteais Palace, expanded for the visits of the Royal family, by the Marquess of Marialva
The visit of Queen Maria I in 1787 brought about the restoration and redecoration of a few salons and chambers in the municipal buildings. The great festivities of 1795 to celebrate the baptism of the Infante António, son of John VI, resulted in grand balls at the Palace of Queluz. In 1838 the King-Consort, Ferdinand II bought the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena and a vast adjacent area, commissioning the architect José de Costa e Silva to construct an arch joining the two quarters of the Seteais Palace (owned by the Marquis of Marialva), to commemorate the 1802 visit of the Prince and Princess of Brazil, John and Carlota Joaquina, and the subsequent visit of their son, the absolutist King Miguel, in 1830.
The arabesque Monserrate Estate on another hilltop near the town of Sintra
During the third quarter of the 18th century and practically all of the 19th century, foreign travellers and Portuguese aristocrats, fired by Romanticism, rediscovered the magic of Sintra, especially in its exotic landscapes and climate. Their visits led to the establishment of several hotels, one of which, Lawrence's, opened in 1764, was still functioning in 2018. In the summer of 1787, William Beckford stayed with the Marquis of Marialva, master of the horse for the kingdom, at his residence of Seteais. At the beginning of the 19th century Princess Carlota Joaquina, wife of Prince Regent John, bought the estate and Ramalhão Palace. Between 1791 and 1793, Gerard Devisme constructed a Neo-Gothic mansion on his extensive estate in the Quinta de Monserrate (later known as the Monserrate Palace). Beckford, who remained in Sintra, rented the property from Devisme in 1794. The landscape, covered in fog, also attracted another Englishman, Sir Francis Cook, who occupied the estate, constructing an oriental pavilion.
The Pena National Palace: summer residence of the monarchs of Portugal during the 19th century
Quinta da Regaleira, an integral landmark of Sintra's UNESCO Cultural Landscape
The Palace of Pena, Sintra's exemplary Portuguese Romantic symbol, was initiated by the King-Consort Ferdinand, husband of Queen Maria II (1834-1853), a German-born member of the House of Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha. The Palace was built over the remains of the 16th-century monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome, conserving many fundamental aspects, including the church, cloister and a few dependencies. The architecture is eclectic, influenced by many architectural styles, evidence of an era of Romanticism.
The intentional mixture of eclectic styles includes the Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Neo-Islamic, Neo-Renaissance neo-Islamic, and neo-Manueline styles. Much of this has been evident since major renovations in the 1800s The design was a project of the Baron von Eschwege and Ferdinand II, to substitute the Sintra National Palace as an alternative to the summer residence in Cascais. After Sintra, the monarchs Louis of Portugal (1861-1889) and Carlos of Portugal (1863-1908) ended their summers with visits to Cascais in the months of September and October.
In 1854, the first contract was signed to construct a rail link between Sintra and Lisbon. A decree signed on 26 June 1855 regulated the contract between the government and Count Claranges Lucotte but was later rescinded in 1861. The connection was finally inaugurated on 2 April 1887.
By the beginning of the 20th century, Sintra was recognized as a summer resort visited by aristocrats and millionaires. Among these, Carvalho Monteiro, owner of a considerable fortune (known as "Monteiro dos Milhões") constructed near the main town, on an estate he bought from the Baroness of Regaleira, a luxurious revivalist palacette, based on a Neo-Manueline architecture.
From the second half of the 19th century into the first decades of the 20th century, Sintra also became a privileged place for artists: musicians such as Viana da Mota; composers such as Alfredo Keil, painters like João Cristino da Silva (author of one of the most celebrated canvases of Portuguese Romantic art, "Five Artists in Sintra [pt]"), writers such as Eça de Queirós or Ramalho Ortigão, all these people lived, worked or got inspiration from Sintra's landscape.
Part of the historic centre
The proclamation of a Portuguese Republic in 1910 transformed the bohemian climate of Sintra. Economic development was now promoted; the potential benefits to the region of growth in agriculture, industry and commerce were promoted to foster development. In 1908 a wine growing zone had been demarcated in Colares. Now a commission was established to monitor the quality of wines and promote their exportation, and in 1914 a commercial association (Portuguese: Associação Comercial e Industrial de Sintra) was set up to manage their concession. Meanwhile, in the name of secular and popular progress, parts of the cultural heritage were destroyed, including the annexes of the medieval village bordering the Palace in 1911, while the nave of the Church of the Misericórdia was reduced to the presbytery to allow the road to be widened. The first decades of the 20th century were the time of the fastest urbanization of the town, supported by its rail link to Lisbon and the influx of summer travellers.
During the 1920s damage to culturally important sites led to the creation of institutions to study and protect the vast artistic heritage. The Instituto Histórico de Sintra (Historic Institute of Sintra), under the direction of Afonso de Ornelas, played an important part in this period. Archaeological studies resulted in considerable development: in 1927, Félix Alves Pereira rediscovered the Neolithic settlements of Santa Eufémia, and the first publication of the discoveries at the prehistoric monuments of Praia das Maçãs were completed in 1929. From this time until the 1970s, coastal Sintra was becoming a summer destination, resulting in the building of Portuguese summer residences. Many important Portuguese architects developed projects in the area in the first half of the 20th century, including Raul Lino, Norte Júnior and Tertuliano de Lacerda Marques.
These projects benefited town and region, increased tourism and attracted as residents many notable Portuguese: historian Francisco Costa; writer Ferreira de Castro; sculptor Anjos Teixeira; architects Norte Júnior and Raul Lino; painters Eduardo Viana, Mily Possoz and Vieira da Silva; poet Oliva Guerra; composer and maestro Frederico de Freitas; historians Felix Alves Pereira and João Martins da Silva Marques
In 1944, prior to his arrest, Vichy France Prime Minister Pierre Laval had planned to move to an estate in Sintra, where a house had been leased for him.
The 1949 municipal plan by De Groer was devised to protect the town and its neighbourhood from uncontrolled urbanization, and resulted in the maintenance of an environment comparable to 19th century Sintra. Urban anarchy predominated until the middle of the 1980s in the areas adjacent to the main town of Sintra, resulting in the development of new neighbourhoods.
Make sure you self check for any abnormality, though it may not be cancerous.
Radio talk today reminded that dogs often know abnormalities (growing cancer) on their significant other. So listen to your animal if she/he starts to act abnormal consistently about a part of your body.
Casamanya-Montaup region. Andorra mountains. View from Els Cortals, Encamp, Vall d'Orient, Andorra, Pyrenees - (c) Lutz Meyer
More Els Cortals, Encamp, Vall d'Orient, Andorra, Pyrenees: Follow the group links at right side.
.......
About this image:
* Full frame format 3x2 quality image
* Usage: Large format prints optional
* Motive is suitable as symbol pic
* "Andorra authentic" edition (20 years 2004-2024)
* "Andorra camis & rutes" active collection
* Advanced metadata functionality on dynamic websites or apps
* for large metadata-controlled business collections: photo-archives, travel agencies, tourism editiorials
We offer 200.000+ photos of Andorra and North of Spain. 20.000+ visable here at Flickr. Its the largest professional image catalog of Andorra: all regions, all cities and villages, all times, all seasons, all weather(s). Consistent for additional advanced programming. For smartphones and web-db. REAL TIME!
It's based on GeoCoded stock-photo images and metadata with 4-5 languages. Prepared for easy systematic organising of very large image portfolios with advanced online / print-publishing as "Culture-GIS" (Geographic Info System).
More information about usage, tips, how-to, conditions: www.flickr.com/people/lutzmeyer/. Get quality, data consistency, stable organisation and PR environments: Professional stockphotos for exciting stories - docu, tales, mystic.
Ask for licence! lutz(at)lutz-meyer.com
(c) Lutz Meyer, all rights reserved. Do not use this photo without license.
A small teaser for the upcoming do-over of my ancient Forever Evil figbarf and the perfect opportunity to highlight four exceptional members of the Flickr Lego community who deserve more attention (all tagged below).
__________________________
1. comixzombie - One of the most unique and consistently interesting Lego photostreams I’ve ever seen on Flickr. Essentially, Comixzombie exclusively recreates purist characters from old Scooby-Doo and Disney cartoons with stunning source authenticity. What I’m most impressed by is his dedication to accurately naming each character and embedding a small screenshot of the character’s appearance in the cartoon into the final image. He’s only got 27 followers at the moment - make this guy blow up!
2. David$19 - I was on the fence for the longest time about giving this guy a shoutout, but his consistent creativity with character and MOC designs finally convinced me to formally highlight his work. Even though the ratio of his Marvel to DC characters doesn’t exactly cater to my biased familiarity of the media properties, I have to say that I sense a rare degree of ambition and sincerity in almost every aspect of his photostream - from his actual figure designs, to his character choices, and even his replies to comments on his images. Give him a follow! I’m a big fan of his techno-undersuit Tony Stark, his X-Men, and his EMH Avengers.
3. Ja 3ni - A very eclectic, superhero-focused photostream with some really cool brick-built figures (Rhino, Thanos, Darkseid, and the best MCU Giant Man I’ve seen on Flickr). He’s made the only brick-built solution I’ve EVER seen of for Dr. Fate’s helmet and seems to have a really good understanding of MOCing in general. Check him out!
4. Kid Photgrapher27 - Saving the most recent for last! And judging by the comments and faves I’m seeing on his recent images, you may have already heard of this kid. A little over a month ago, his content was nothing to write home about, mainly consisting of high-quality shots of stock Lego minifigs or action figures in outdoor settings. But all of a sudden, he caught my full attention by rapidly releasing wave after wave of very well-designed purist superhero figs. His Heretic, Metallo, and Silver Samurai are among the best versions of these characters I’ve seen on Flickr, and his technical presentation is many, many cuts above average. And all at the promising age of 12!? This guy’s going to go far if he keeps his momentum, with my only suggestions to him being to change his Flickr username to something less literal (and better spelled) and to start experimenting with different compositions and backgrounds.
__________________________
About the two figs in this picture - I really, really like how the latest iteration of Owlman turned out here. Thanks to the new pilot goggle piece, he’s much more accurate than his two predecessors, save for the spiky shoulder pads that I chose purely for aesthetic variety. I edited the color of the Outsider’s hat to match his suit, just as I originally planned to do for Mr. Mxyzptlk in my second Super Scum shot.
I take the time to look through the photostream of EVERY new person who follows me. Just keep doing what you do and you might end up on this list someday. :)
Hopefully the last needed part for Rebirth JLA will come in soon! Thoughts on my new cover photo?
Fig formulas:
Owlman (New 52): McLaren P1 Speed Champions Driver helmet, inverted Steve Trevor pilot goggles, Nova head, LBM Death Metal Batman CMF shoulder armor, double starched Batman capes (one under, one over), reversed Scuba Batman torso, S15 Kendo Fighter CMF legs
The Outsider (New 52): S5 Small Clown CMF hat (edited color), Vulture head, Tumbler Joker base with white hands
Wikipedia,
Sintra
Municipality
UNESCO
Clockwise: Pena National Palace; Azenhas do Mar; Quinta da Regaleira; Seteais Palace; Praia da Ursa; Monserrate Palace.
Flag of Sintra
Flag
Coat of arms of Sintra
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 38°47′57″N 9°23′18″W
Country Portugal
RegionLisbon
Metropolitan areaLisbon
DistrictLisbon
Parishes11 (list)
Government
• PresidentBasílio Horta (PS)
Area
• Total
319.23 km2 (123.26 sq mi)
Elevation175 m (574 ft)
Lowest elevation0 m (0 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total
377,835
• Density1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+00:00 (WET)
• Summer (DST)UTC+01:00 (WEST)
Postal code
2714
Area code219
PatronSão Pedro
Websitehttp://www.cm-sintra.pt
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official nameCultural Landscape of Sintra
CriteriaCultural: ii, iv, v
Reference723
Inscription1995 (19th Session)
Area946 ha
Sintra (/ˈsɪntrə, ˈsiːntrə/,[1][2][3] Portuguese: [ˈsĩtɾɐ] ⓘ) is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2021 was 385,654,[4] in an area of 319.23 square kilometres (123.26 sq mi).[5] Sintra is one of the most urbanized and densely populated municipalities of Portugal. A major tourist destination famed for its picturesqueness, the municipality has several historic palaces, castles, scenic beaches, parks and gardens.
The area includes the Sintra-Cascais Nature Park through which the Sintra Mountains run. The historic center of the Vila de Sintra is famous for its 19th-century Romanticist architecture, historic estates and villas, gardens, and royal palaces and castles, which resulted in the classification of the town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sintra's landmarks include the medieval Castle of the Moors, the romanticist Pena National Palace and the Portuguese Renaissance Sintra National Palace.
Sintra is one of the wealthiest municipalities in both Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula as a whole.[6][7][8][9] It is home to one of the largest foreign expatriate communities along the Portuguese Riviera,[10][11][12][13][14] and consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Portugal.[15][16] The ECB Forum on Central Banking, an annual event organised by the European Central Bank, is held in Sintra.[17]
History
Prehistory to Moorish era
Anta de Adrenunes.
Anta do Monte Abraão.
The earliest remnants of human occupation were discovered in Penha Verde: these vestiges testify to an occupation dating to the early Paleolithic.[18] Comparable remnants were discovered in an open-air site in São Pedro de Canaferrim, alongside the chapel of the Castelo dos Mouros (Moorish Castle), dating back to the Neolithic, and include decorated ceramics and microlithic flint utensils from the 5th millennium BC.[19]
Ceramic fragments found locally including many late Chalcolithic vases from the Sintra mountains suggest that between the fourth and third millennia B.C. the region (adjacent to the present village of Sintra) was occupied by a Neolithic/Chalcolithic settlement, with characteristics comparable to fortified settlements in Lisbon and Setúbal.[18] The evidence discovered in Quinta das Sequoias and São Pedro de Canaferrim contrasts dramatically with those remnants discovered in the walled town of Penha Verde and the funerary monument of Bella Vista.[18] Traces of several Bronze Age remains were also discovered in many places in the Sintra Mountains, including alongside the town, in the Monte do Sereno area, and a late Bronze Age settlement within the Moorish Castle dating to the 9th–6th centuries B.C.
The most famous object from this period is the so-called Sintra Collar, a middle Bronze Age gold neck-ring found near the city at the end of the 19th century, which since 1900 has been part of the British Museum's collection. Relatively close by, in Santa Eufémia da Serra, is an Iron Age settlement where artifacts from indigenous tribes and peoples of Mediterranean origins (principally from the Punic period) were also discovered.[18]
These date from the early 4th century B.C., prior to the Romanization of the peninsula, which in the area of Foz do Tejo took place in the middle of the 2nd century B.C.[18] Close proximity to a large commercial centre (Olisipo) founded by the Turduli Oppidani people in the first half of the first millennium B.C., meant that the region of Sintra was influenced by human settlement throughout various epochs, cultures that have left remains in the area to this day. The toponym Sintra derives from the medieval Suntria, and points to an association with radical Indo-European cultures; the word translates as 'bright star' or 'sun', commonly significant in those cultures.[18] Marcus Terentius Varro and Cadizian Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella designated the place "the sacred mountain" and Ptolemy referred to it as the "mountains of the moon".[18]
Part of the Roman Dam of Belas complex, showing the ventilation structures (foreground) and the remaining dam segment (background).
During the Roman occupation of the peninsula, the region of Sintra was part of the vast Civitas Olisiponense which Caesar (around 49 B.C.) or more likely Octavius (around 30 B.C.) granted the status of Municipium Civium Romanorum. The various residents of the region were considered part of the Roman Galeria and in the present village of Sintra there are Roman remains testifying to a Roman presence from the 1st–2nd centuries B.C. to the 5th century A.D. A roadway along the southeast part of the Sintra Mountains and connected to the main road to Olisipo dates from this period.[18]
Roman Bridge of Catribana.
This via followed the route of the current Rua da Ferraria, the Calçada dos Clérigos and the Calçada da Trindade.[18] Following the Roman custom of siting tombs along their roads and near their homes, there is also evidence of inscriptions pertaining to Roman funeral monuments, dating mainly to the 2nd century. The area around the modern town of Sintra, due to its proximity to Olisipo, the ancient name of Lisbon, was always profoundly interconnected with the major settlement, to the point that the Fountain of Armés, a 1st-century fountain in the village of Armés, Terrugem, in Sintra, has been built by Lucius Iulius Maelo Caudicus, an Olisipo flamen, to honour the Roman Emperor Augustus.
The Castle of the Moors, on the hilltops of Sintra
It was during the Moorish occupation of Sintra (Arabic: Xintara) that Greco-Latin writers wrote of the explicit occupation of the area of the town centre. A description by the geographer Al-Bacr, described Sintra as "one of the towns that [are] dependent on Lisbon in Al-Andalus, in proximity to the sea", characterizing it as "permanently submersed in a fog that never dissipates".[18]
During the Reconquista (around the 9th century), its principal centre and castle were isolated by Christian armies. Following the fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba, the King of León, Alfonso VI received in the spring of 1093, the cities of Santarém, Lisbon and the Castle of Sintra.[18] This followed a period of internal instability within the Muslim taifas of the peninsula, and in particular the decision by the ruler of Taifa of Badajoz, Umar ibn Muhammad al-Mutawakkil who, after hesitating from 1090 to 1091, placed his territory under the suzerainty of Alfonso VI when faced with the threat of the Almoravids. Afonso took the cities and the castle of Sintra between 30 April and 8 May 1093, but shortly after their transfer Sintra and Lisbon were conquered by the Almoravids.[18] Santarém was saved by Henry, who Alfonso had nominated Count of Portugal in 1096, to replace Raymond of Burgundy.[18]
Kingdom
The remnants of the chapel of São Pedro de Canaferrim, constructed by Afonso Henriques following the surrender of Moors in Sintra
In July 1109, Count Henry reconquered the Castle of Sintra.[18] This was preceded a year before by an attempt by Prince Sigurd the Crusader, son of Magnus III of Norway, to capture the castle from the Moors in the course of his trek to the Holy Land. Sigurd's forces disembarked at the mouth of the Colares River but failed to take the castle. But it was only after the conquest of Lisbon, in October 1147, by Afonso Henriques (supported by Crusaders), that the castle surrendered definitively to the Christians, in November.[18] It was integrated into Christian dominions along with Almada and Palmela after their surrender. Afonso Henriques established the Church of São Pedro de Canaferrim within the walls of the Moorish Castle to mark his success.[18]
The municipal building of Sintra, constructed after 1154 to house the local administration
On 9 January 1154, Afonso Henriques signed a foral ("charter") for the town of Sintra, with all its respective regalia. The charter established the municipality of Sintra, whose territory encompassed a large area, eventually divided into four great parishes: São Pedro de Canaferrim (in the castle), São Martinho (in the town of Sintra), Santa Maria and São Miguel (in the ecclesiastical seat of Arrabalde).[18] The early municipal seat, the town of Sintra, was the centre of a significant Sephardic community, with a synagogue and quarter. This community was not limited to Sintra town: enclaves are mentioned during the reign of King Denis in Colares, but were heavily pressured by the influx of Christian serfs.[18] Throughout the 12th and 13th centuries, owing to the fertility of the land, various convents, monasteries and military orders constructed residences, estates, water-mills and vineyards. There are municipal records from this period of a number of donations and grants; between 1157 and 1158, Afonso Henriques donated to the master of the Knights Templar, Gualdim Pais, various houses and estates in the centre of Sintra.[18]
In 1210, the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra acquired four houses in Pocilgais, releasing them in 1230, while in 1264 it controlled homes and vineyards in Almargem.[18] In 1216 the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora (Lisbon) also held a vineyard in Colares and, in 1218, estates in Queluz and Barota. At some time between 1223 and 1245, the Monastery of Santa Maria de Alcobaça held various privileges in the territory. The military Order of Santiago owned an estate in Arrifana in 1260.[18] Many of Afonso Henriques' donations in the 12th century, including privileges assigned to these institutions, were confirmed in 1189 by his son, Sancho I (1185–1211), corresponding to a social, political and economic strategy during the post-Reconquista era.[18] Consequently, after 1261, Sintra had a local administration consisting of an alcalde representing the Crown, and two local judges elected by the public. During the political conflict between King Sancho II (1223–1248) and the Church, the churches of São Pedro and São Martinho, which belonged to the King, were ceded to the Bishop of Lisbon and Sé.[18] Yet the Crown's patrimony was defined early: in 1287, King Denis donated to Queen Elizabeth of Portugal the town, the signeurial holdings and all their associated benefits. Later, these lands were transferred to the young Infante Afonso (later King Afonso IV), and remained in his possession until 1334, before reverting to the ownership of the queen (Portuguese: Casa da Rainha).[18]
The Black Death arrived in Sintra in the 14th century; in 1350, the disease is known to have caused the death of five municipal scribes. Far greater numbers of deaths probably resulted, perhaps owing to the cool climate and humidity, conditions that favoured the rapid spread of the disease.[18]
The Palace of Sintra, for a long time the residence of royal family during the summer
During the reign of King Ferdinand (1367–1383), Sintra played a part in the controversial marriage of the monarch to Dona Leonor Telles de Menezes. In 1374, the King donated Sintra to the Lady Telles, whom he eventually married in secret in the north of the country.[18] Along with Sintra the King conceded the municipalities of Vila Viçosa, Abrantes and Almada, to the consternation of his private council; following a confrontation the King abandoned his duties and travelled to Sintra, where he remained for a month on the pretext of hunting.[18] As Sintra was located relatively close to Lisbon, many of its people were called to work on projects for the Crown in the capital: in 1373, King Ferdinand decided to wall the city, and requested funds or workers from coastal lands in Almada, Sesimbra, Palmela, Setúbal, Coina, Benavente and Samora Correia, as well as all of Ribatejo, and from the inland areas of Sintra, Cascais, Torres Vedras, Alenquer, Arruda, Atouguia, Lourinhã, Telheiros and Mafra. During the Dynastic Crisis between 1383 and 1385, Sintra joined Leonor Telles in supporting the proclamation of her daughter, Beatrice, who married John I of Castile, as Queen of Portugal and Castile. After the defeat of the Castilian army at Aljubarrota (August 1385) by Portuguese and English troops, commanded by Nuno Álvares Pereira, Sintra became one of the last places to surrender to the Master of Aviz, later King of Portugal (after 1383).
Joanine and Philippine era
John I (1385–1433), first King of the second dynasty, broke the tradition of transferring Sintra to the Casa da Rainha (Queen's property). Probably around 1383, John I granted the lands of Sintra to Count Henrique Manuel de Vilhena, quickly revoking the decision after Henrique took the Infanta's side during the dynastic quarrel. Sintra, therefore, continued as a possession of the King, who expanded the local estate. Until the end of the 17th century, the royal palace constituted one of the principal residences and summer estates of the court: it was from here that John decided to conquer Ceuta (1415); King Afonso V was born and died at the palace (1433–1481); and here King John II (1481–1495) was acclaimed sovereign.[18]
In a document issued in 1435 by King Edward (1433–1438), the region was described as: "A land of good air and water and of the Comarcas with an abundance in the sea and land [...] our most loyal city of Lisbon being so near, and being in it sufficient diversions, and the distractions of the mountains and hunting...".[18]
During the Portuguese Age of Discovery, several people born in Sintra were written into history. In 1443 Gonçalo de Sintra, squire in the House of the Infante Henry, was sent by the prince as captain of a caravel to the coast of Africa. He explored the region near the Ouro River and eventually died there in 1444.[18] Pedro de Sintra and Soeiro da Costa later mapped most of the Atlantic coast of Africa, around the time of Henry's death in 1460.[18]
At the end of the 15th century the importance of Sintra on official itineraries led Queen Eleanor of Viseu (wife of King John II), then principal benefactor of the Portuguese Misericóridas, to expand her principal institutions in Sintra.[18] The Hospital e Gafaria do Espírito Santo, the only remnant of which left standing is a chapel to São Lázaro, was constructed to provide assistance and support to lepers in the region (the chapel still includes the signets of King John, the pelican, and Queen Leonor, the shrimp). In 1545, the hospital was transferred to the administration of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Sintra which was set up by Queen Catherine of Austria, wife of John III.
King Manuel I (1495–1521) enjoyed spending his summers in Sintra, due to its cool climate and abundance of game; as Damião de Góis, his chronicler noted: "because it is one of the places in Europe that is cooler, and cheerful for whichever King, Prince or Master to pass their time, because, in addition to its good airs, that cross its mountains, called by the older peoples the promontory of the moon, there is here much hunting of deer and other animals, and overall many and many good trout of many type, and in which in all of Hispania there can be found, and many springs of water...".[18] Between the 15th and 16th century, after travelling to the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon when being considered as heir to the Kingdoms in 1498, the King transformed and enriched the town and its region with several public works. These included the reconstruction of the old Gothic Church of São Martinho and in 1511 the construction of the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena on the highest peak of the Sintra Mountains, which he then transferred to the Order of Saint Jerome. In the second half of the 16th century, Sintra was a centre for courtesans and members of the aristocracy began building estates and farms within the region.[18] In this rural environment, from 1542, the Viceroy of India, D. João de Castro (1500–1548) began residing at Quinta da Penha Verde, where he collected examples of Portuguese culture of the time, including works by celebrated artist Francisco de Holanda.[18] It was during this cultural Renaissance that the marble chancel sculpted between 1529 and 1532 by Nicolau Chanterene for the chapel of the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena was completed, as was the portico of the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Ulgueira (1560).[18]
The Convent of the Capuchos, the monastic retreat established during the primordial history of the municipality (16th century)
Luís de Camões (1524–1580) referred to the mountains of Sintra in his Os Lusíadas chronicle, as a mythic land ruled by water nymphs. The Renaissance poet Luisa Sigea—Syntrae Aloisiae Sygeae in Paris (1566) and Madrid (1781) referred to Sintra as a "pleasant valley, between cliffs that rise into the heavens...curved in graceful hills among which one can feel the murmur of the waters...[where] everything, in fact, will enchant and perfume the environment with its fragrance and fruit."[18]
With the death of the Cardinal-King Henry (1578–1580), Philip II of Spain inherited the Kingdom of Portugal, initiating a personal union of the crowns that would last until 1640. During this period, Portuguese political power moved from Sintra to Vila Viçosa, principal centre of the House of Braganza, whose dukes, descendants of John of Portugal, were heirs to the throne of Portugal. Following the decision of the Cortes of Tomar in 1581, Phillip as King of Portugal accepted an administration composed of the Portuguese aristocracy. He passed through Sintra around October 1581, visiting the monasteries and churches.[18] It was during this period that cult of Sebastianism, the hope for the return of King Sebastian, came to an end, when several fake "Sebastians" were denounced.[18] In 1585 Mateus Alvares, born on the island of Terceira in the Azores and guardian of the hermitage of São Julio, passed himself off as King Sebastian and created conflict in Sintra, Madra, Rio de Mouro and Ericeira. The Sebastian adventure ended with the hanging of thirty people and the suffering of many more. It was not surprising, therefore, that the visit in 1619 by King Philip IV of Spain (Philip III of Portugal) resulted in many families escaping to the hills. During this union (1580–1640), Sintra was a privileged place for Portuguese "exiles" from the Castilian court; nobles who wished to distance themselves from Spanish nobility would purchase lands in the region, away from court intrigue.[18] At the time of the Restoration, in 1640, the municipality had approximately 4000 residents.
Brigantine era
Royal Palace of Queluz.
The war with Spain (1640–1668), the affirmation of Mafra during the reign of John V of Portugal (1706–1750) through the construction of the Palace-Convent, and later the construction of Royal Palace of Queluz in 1747 during the reigns of Joseph I (1750–1777) and Maria I (1777–1816), helped diminish royal visits to the region.[18] During this time there were only two documented visits: in 1652 and 1654, respectively the visit of Queen Luísa de Gusmão and King John IV (1640–1656), and the final burial of King Afonso VI.[18]
Ill-fated king Afonso VI imprisoned in the Palace of Sintra, by painter Alfredo Roque Gameiro.
Alleging the insanity of the King and the incapacity of the heir, the Duke of Cadaval and the Infante Peter led a coup d'état in 1667 which resulted in the resignation of the Count of Castelo Melhor, Minister of King Afonso VI (1656–1683) and the imprisonment of the monarch.[18] In 1668 the Cortes of Lisbon confirmed the Infante Peter, the king's brother, as regent and heir. Afonso VI lived the rest of his life imprisoned, in the Paço da Ribeira (1667–1669), in the Fortress of Saint John the Baptist in Angra, in the Azores (1669–1674) and in the end, with the discovery of a conspiracy to kill the regent, in the Paço da Vila in Sintra (1674–1683).[18]
From the 17th to the 18th centuries, the region was centre of contemplative religious orders who established convents in Sintra. But it remained a place of myths, with a large, mysterious forest and macabre, gloomy spaces. Father Baião, in his Portugal Cuidadoso (1724) noted: "Next to the Palace of Sintra was a forest, so thick, that during the day, it cast fear in him who entered it. And [King] D. Sebastian was free from these fears, that he would walk at night, through it, many times for two or three hours."[18] Starting in the second half of the 18th century and lasting through the 19th century Sintra became known as a nostalgic and mysterious location described by many foreigners.
Lord Byron (1788–1824) particularly enjoyed his stay in Sintra that is described in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage as "glorious Eden".
It was the Romantic Lord Byron's "glorious Eden"; Almeida Garrett's "pleasant resort"; Eça de Queirós's "nest of lovers [where, in] the romantic foliage, the nobles abandoned themselves in the hands of the poets"; or the place where Richard Strauss saw a garden "comparable to Italy, Sicily, Greece or Egypt, a true garden of Klingsor, and there in the heights, a castle of the Holy Grail".[18]
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, meanwhile, caused the destruction of the centre of Sintra as well as a number of deaths, resulting in building and restoration in the second half of the 18th century. Also in the 18th century, the first industrial building was established in the town: the Fábrica de Estamparia de Rio de Mouro (Mouro River Stamping Factory) in 1778.
The front façade of Seteais Palace, expanded for the visits of the royal family, by the Marquess of Marialva
The visit of Queen Maria I in 1787 brought about the restoration and redecoration of a few salons and chambers in the municipal buildings. The great festivities of 1795 to celebrate the baptism of the Infante António, son of John VI, resulted in grand balls at the Palace of Queluz. In 1838 the King-Consort, Ferdinand II bought the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena and a vast adjacent area, commissioning the architect José de Costa e Silva to construct an arch joining the two quarters of the Seteais Palace (owned by the Marquis of Marialva), to commemorate the 1802 visit of the Prince and Princess of Brazil, John and Carlota Joaquina, and the subsequent visit of their son, the absolutist King Miguel, in 1830.[18]
The arabesque Monserrate Estate on another hilltop near the town of Sintra
During the third quarter of the 18th century and practically all of the 19th century, foreign travellers and Portuguese aristocrats, fired by Romanticism, rediscovered the magic of Sintra, especially in its exotic landscapes and climate. Their visits led to the establishment of several hotels, one of which, Lawrence's, opened in 1764, was still functioning in 2018. In the summer of 1787, William Beckford stayed with the Marquis of Marialva, master of the horse for the kingdom, at his residence of Seteais. At the beginning of the 19th century Princess Carlota Joaquina, wife of Prince Regent John, bought the estate and Ramalhão Palace. Between 1791 and 1793, Gerard Devisme constructed a Neo-Gothic mansion on his extensive estate in the Quinta de Monserrate (later known as the Monserrate Palace). Beckford, who remained in Sintra, rented the property from Devisme in 1794. The landscape, covered in fog, also attracted another Englishman, Sir Francis Cook, who occupied the estate, constructing an oriental pavilion.[18]
The Pena National Palace: summer residence of the monarchs of Portugal during the 19th century
Quinta da Regaleira, an integral landmark of Sintra's UNESCO Cultural Landscape
The Palace of Pena, Sintra's exemplary Portuguese Romantic symbol, was initiated by the King-Consort Ferdinand, husband of Queen Maria II (1834–1853), a German-born member of the House of Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha. The palace was built over the remains of the 16th-century monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome, conserving many fundamental aspects, including the church, cloister and a few dependencies. The architecture is eclectic, influenced by many architectural styles, evidence of an era of Romanticism.
The intentional mixture of eclectic styles includes the Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Neo-Islamic, Neo-Renaissance neo-Islamic, and neo-Manueline styles. Much of this has been evident since a major restoration that was completed prior to 1900.[20]
The design was a project of the Baron von Eschwege and Ferdinand II, to substitute the Sintra National Palace as an alternative to the summer residence in Cascais. After Sintra, the monarchs Louis of Portugal (1861–1889) and Carlos of Portugal (1863–1908) ended their summers with visits to Cascais in the months of September and October.
In 1854, the first contract was signed to construct a rail link between Sintra and Lisbon. A decree signed on 26 June 1855 regulated the contract between the government and Count Claranges Lucotte but was later rescinded in 1861. The connection was finally inaugurated on 2 April 1887.
By the beginning of the 20th century, Sintra was recognized as a summer resort visited by aristocrats and millionaires. Among these, Carvalho Monteiro, owner of a considerable fortune (known as "Monteiro dos Milhões") constructed near the main town, on an estate he bought from the Baroness of Regaleira, a luxurious revivalist palacette, based on a Neo-Manueline architecture.
From the second half of the 19th century into the first decades of the 20th century, Sintra also became a privileged place for artists: musicians such as Viana da Mota; composers such as Alfredo Keil, painters like João Cristino da Silva (author of one of the most celebrated canvases of Portuguese Romantic art, "Five Artists in Sintra [pt]"), writers such as Eça de Queirós or Ramalho Ortigão, all these people lived, worked or got inspiration from Sintra's landscapes.[18]
Republic
Part of the historic centre
The proclamation of a Portuguese Republic in 1910 transformed the bohemian climate of Sintra. Economic development was now promoted; the potential benefits to the region of growth in agriculture, industry and commerce were promoted to foster development. In 1908 a wine growing zone had been demarcated in Colares. Now a commission was established to monitor the quality of wines and promote their exportation, and in 1914 a commercial association (Portuguese: Associação Comercial e Industrial de Sintra) was set up to manage their concession. Meanwhile, in the name of secular and popular progress, parts of the cultural heritage were destroyed, including the annexes of the medieval village bordering the palace in 1911, while the nave of the Church of the Misericórdia was reduced to the presbytery to allow the road to be widened. The first decades of the 20th century were the time of the fastest urbanization of the town, supported by its rail link to Lisbon and the influx of summer travellers.
During the 1920s damage to culturally important sites led to the creation of institutions to study and protect the vast artistic heritage. The Instituto Histórico de Sintra (Historic Institute of Sintra), under the direction of Afonso de Ornelas, played an important part in this period.[18] Archaeological studies resulted in considerable development: in 1927, Félix Alves Pereira rediscovered the Neolithic settlements of Santa Eufémia, and the first publication of the discoveries at the prehistoric monuments of Praia das Maçãs were completed in 1929.[18] From this time until the 1970s, coastal Sintra was becoming a summer destination, resulting in the building of Portuguese summer residences.[18] Many important Portuguese architects developed projects in the area in the first half of the 20th century, including Raul Lino, Norte Júnior and Tertuliano de Lacerda Marques.
These projects benefited town and region, increased tourism and attracted as residents many notable Portuguese: historian Francisco Costa; writer Ferreira de Castro; sculptor Anjos Teixeira; architects Norte Júnior and Raul Lino; painters Eduardo Viana, Mily Possoz and Vieira da Silva; poet Oliva Guerra; composer and maestro Frederico de Freitas; historians Felix Alves Pereira and João Martins da Silva Marques.[18]
In 1944, prior to his arrest, Vichy France Prime Minister Pierre Laval had planned to move to an estate in Sintra, where a house had been leased for him.[21]
The 1949 municipal plan by De Groer was devised to protect the town and its neighbourhood from uncontrolled urbanization, and resulted in the maintenance of an environment comparable to 19th century Sintra.[18] Urban anarchy predominated until the middle of the 1980s in the areas adjacent to the main town of Sintra, resulting in the development of new neighbourhoods.[18]
Geography
Physical geography
The town of Sintra sitting atop the Sintra Mountains, the exposed granite formation of igneous rock extending to the Atlantic Ocean
The Sintra Mountains, a granite massif ten kilometres long – considered the Monte da Lua (Mountain of the Moon), or Promontorium Lunae by the strong local tradition of astral cults – emerge abruptly between a vast plain to the north and the northern margin of the Tagus River estuary, winding in a serpentine cordillera towards the Atlantic Ocean and Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point of continental Europe.
The imposing cliffs which delimit the Sintra range and the Atlantic
The São João platform, along the northern flank of the Sintra Mountains, has altitudes between 100 metres (110 yd) and 150 metres (160 yd), while the southern part of the mountains, the Cascais platform, is lower: sloping from 150 metres (160 yd) to the sea, terminating along the coast, around 30 metres (33 yd) above sea level.[22][23] The spectacular relief results from the east–west orientation of the massif's axis, its terminus at the coast, and the nature of igneous rocks, which are resistant to erosion.[23] The Eruptive Massif of Sintra (MES) is a dome structure, formed by layers of sedimentary rocks (limestones and sandstones) from the Upper Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods.[23] A metamorphosed igneous intrusion resulted in a narrow halo of metamorphic rocks, but also strongly deformed these sedimentary layers causing a vertical exposure.[23] While in the south there are enclosed sedimentary layers, to the north (around Praia Grande) the massif is steep. The sedimentary formations, until the beginning of the Upper Cretaceous, are deformed by the intrusion which limits the MES to the end the Cretaceous.[23] Radiometric aging of different rocks from the massif has indicated an age between 80 and 75 million years (confirming the installation of the massive Upper Cretaceous).[23]
Beach in Azenhas do Mar, Sintra
The geodynamic conditions that controlled the formation of the MES (correlated with the development of the Sines and Monchique Eruptive Massifs) are associated with the progressive northern expansion of the Atlantic Ocean and the consequent opening of the Bay of Biscay.[23] The Bay of Biscay's expansion resulted in complex tensions responsible for profound fractures in the Earth's crust that were conduits for the ascension of magma.[23] Around 80 million years ago this magma spread across the surface as a superficial crust with a depth of 5 kilometres between sedimentary layers (160 to 9 million years old) that were chemically metamorphosed.[23] Over time the magma chamber cooled and crystallized, resulting in conditions that caused the granular textures that characterize the MES.[23] The weaker sedimentary layers were susceptible to erosion, and their products were deposited around their base. Consequently, the massif likely became exposed during the Paleogenic epoch (30 million years ago), known as the Benfica Complex.[23]
Climate and biome
High humidity and cooler temperatures are rather frequent in the mountains of Sintra
The Mediterranean climate, influenced by the Atlantic and characterized by moderate temperatures and wet winters, is typical of mainland Portugal. Although the climate in the area of Cabo da Roca is close to semi-arid, the Sintra Mountains are considered moderately humid: precipitation in the mountains is higher than in the surrounding areas. The position of the town in the natural landscape of the Sintra Mountains (consisting of an exuberant natural patrimony), is influenced by the existence of a micro-climate.[22][24] For different reasons (the climate here has been moderated by the Sintra Mountains; the fertility of the soils; and its relative proximity to the Tagus estuary) the region attracted considerable early settlement. Due to its micro-climate, a huge park has developed full of dense foliage with a rich botanical diversity.
The temperate climate and humidity resulting from proximity to the coast favour the growth of a rich mat of forest including Atlantic and Mediterranean species, marking the transition in Portugal from northern to southern vegetation. The Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica) predominates over great expanses of the rocky heights and sheltered slopes. On moist shady slopes, normally facing north, or in sheltered places, the common oak (Quercus robur) is widespread. In lowland areas and warm places the cork oak (Quercus suber) is common and in limestone areas the Portuguese oak (Quercus faginea) is found. Other species scattered throughout the mountains of Sintra include: maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), common hazel (Corylus avellana), common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), European holly (Ilex aquifolium), Portuguese laurel (Prunus lusitanica), Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), laurestine (Viburnum tinus), Kermes oak (Quercus coccifera), and Italian buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus). In the valleys, near watercourses, grow narrow-leaf ash (Fraxinus angustifolia), Grey willow (Salix atrocinerea), European alder (Alnus glutinosa), alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus) and black elderberry (Sambucus nigra).
Since 1966, the Sintra Mountains have been affected by fires that have destroyed a major part of the original forest, which has been substituted by acacia and other fast-growing exotic species. The forested area of the Sintra mountains is about 5,000 hectares (50 km2), of which 26% (1,300 hectares (13 km2)) is maintained by the State through the Direcção Geral de Florestas – Núcleo Florestal de Sintra (General Directorate of Forests – Sintra Forestry Service).
Climate data for Sintra (Sintra Air Base) 1971–2000
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)21.6
(70.9)23.4
(74.1)27.2
(81.0)28.0
(82.4)33.6
(92.5)41.4
(106.5)39.8
(103.6)38.5
(101.3)37.8
(100.0)31.8
(89.2)27.0
(80.6)22.5
(72.5)41.4
(106.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)14.3
(57.7)14.9
(58.8)16.8
(62.2)17.4
(63.3)19.2
(66.6)22.3
(72.1)24.7
(76.5)25.3
(77.5)24.5
(76.1)21.1
(70.0)17.5
(63.5)15.1
(59.2)19.4
(66.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)9.7
(49.5)10.6
(51.1)12.0
(53.6)13.0
(55.4)14.9
(58.8)17.8
(64.0)20.0
(68.0)20.4
(68.7)19.4
(66.9)16.4
(61.5)13.0
(55.4)10.9
(51.6)14.9
(58.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)5.2
(41.4)6.2
(43.2)7.3
(45.1)8.5
(47.3)10.6
(51.1)13.3
(55.9)15.2
(59.4)15.6
(60.1)14.3
(57.7)11.6
(52.9)8.6
(47.5)6.8
(44.2)10.3
(50.5)
Record low °C (°F)−3.5
(25.7)−3.5
(25.7)−2.0
(28.4)−0.1
(31.8)3.2
(37.8)6.0
(42.8)8.6
(47.5)8.4
(47.1)4.8
(40.6)−1.0
(30.2)−3.5
(25.7)−4.0
(24.8)−4.0
(24.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)100.7
(3.96)90.7
(3.57)57.2
(2.25)72.3
(2.85)56.8
(2.24)18.2
(0.72)6.2
(0.24)6.9
(0.27)28.4
(1.12)91.0
(3.58)111.5
(4.39)127.8
(5.03)767.7
(30.22)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)14.314.511.213.110.56.13.63.16.811.913.916.0125.0
Average relative humidity (%)87858077757574747782848680
Mean monthly sunshine hours152.2149.5205.0224.0255.4269.7309.0307.3244.2203.5158.7128.52,607
Source: Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera[25][26]
Climate data for Sintra (Granja), altitude: 134 m (440 ft), 1961–1984 normals, 1953–2003 sun hours
Human geography
Historical population
YearPop.±%
186420,766—
187821,990+5.9%
189022,918+4.2%
190026,074+13.8%
191130,694+17.7%
192029,762−3.0%
193037,986+27.6%
194045,171+18.9%
195060,423+33.8%
196079,964+32.3%
1970124,893+56.2%
1981226,428+81.3%
1991260,951+15.2%
2001363,749+39.4%
2011377,835+3.9%
2021385,606+2.1%
Source: INE[27]
The municipality is administered by 11 civil parish (Portuguese: freguesias) councils, with local authority to administer services and provide local governance, which are:[28]
Agualva e Mira-Sintra
Algueirão–Mem Martins
Almargem do Bispo, Pêro Pinheiro e Montelavar
Cacém e São Marcos
Casal de Cambra
Colares
Massamá e Monte Abraão
Queluz e Belas
Rio de Mouro
São João das Lampas e Terrugem
Sintra (Santa Maria e São Miguel, São Martinho e São Pedro de Penaferrim)
Sintra also has numerous hamlets and villages, including the affluent village of Linhó, Sintra.
Sintra's population grew considerably in the late 20th century, rising from about 14% of the Lisbon region to 19%, with the main concentration of resident population found in the important Queluz-Portela corridor, along the southeast corner of the municipality.[29] In this area were concentrated approximately 82% of the municipality's population, the most attractive parishes to live in being São Pedro de Penaferrim, Rio de Mouro, Belas and Algueirão-Mem Martins.[29][30]
The buildings in the central square of São Martinho, across from the Sintra National Palace
With the decrease in mortality rates, the region has undergone a general increase in infant births, primarily associated with late births, but also an increase in seniors in the community (56.5% in 2001).[29] Yet Sintra is still considered to have a structurally young population, the youngest in the Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon.[29] Young adults (30- to 39-year-olds) dominate Sintra's communities, with the parishes of Pêro Pinheiro, Terrugem, São Martinho, São João das Lampas, Santa Maria e São Miguel, Montelavar, Colares, Queluz and Almargem do Bispo all having higher rates of seniors in the population.[29] Approximately 80% of the population are born outside the town, 21% of these being foreign born residents. While the resident population in Lisbon has seen a gentle decrease since the mid-1960s, Sintra has grown comparably.[29]
Urban areas represent 55.4 square kilometres (5,540 ha) of the municipality, or approximately 17.4% of Sintra's territory; 35% of the population reside in places of between 50,000 and 100,000 inhabitants.[29] Many of these areas are anchored to lines of access, in particular, the Sintra Line and the IC19 motorway which connects the principal towns of Queluz, Agualva-Cacém, Algueirão/Mem Martins, Rio de Mouro and Belas).[29] Many of these urban areas are composed of a fabric of building projects that have historically resulted in dense buildings of concrete, normally seven or more floors in height.[29] The greatest growth in residential homes has occurred in the south of the municipality, in the triangle of São Pedro de Penaferrim, Santa Maria e São Miguel and Casal de Cambra.[29] In addition, there is a major concentration and growth in family dwellings of a seasonal nature, or second homes, in this region, and a proliferation of illegal construction in the parishes of São João das Lampas, São Pedro de Penaferrim, Belas, Agualva-Cacém and Casal de Cambra.[29]
Economy
The iconic Pena National Palace originally built on the Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena, and renovated extensively through the initiative of Ferdinand II of Portugal
The growth in tertiary activities has played an important part in the pattern of employment in the region, with commercial, retail and support services predominating.[29] This has been to the detriment of industry, although continuing industrial activities include the transport of materials, mineral processing, the manufacture of machinery and equipment, food-processing, beverage and tobacco companies as well as publishing and printing services.[29] There has also been a dramatic growth in the civil construction industry.[29]
EuroAtlantic Airways has its head office in Sintra.[31]
Tourism is also significant, with the parks and monuments operated by the Parques de Sintra accounting for 3.2 million visitors in 2017, for example.[32]
Transport
Sintra commuter railway station
Lisbon's commuter railway network (CP Urban Services) provides direct services to Sintra Station. The journey to Lisbon takes 35–45 minutes.[33] There is alternative transport, taxis, car-sharing services and buses, covering a large area of the district.
The Sintra tramway links Sintra with the Atlantic coast at Praia das Maçãs, providing a beautiful scenic ride along the way and covering a distance of some 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi). As of 2016, the heritage line runs Wednesday to Sunday in summer months.
Tourist bus 434 takes visitors between attractions in Sintra. The bus follows a one-way route and stops at Sintra Station, São Pedro de Sintra, the Castle of the Moors, Pena National Palace, Sintra Old Town and returns to Sintra Station.[34]
Landmarks
Cultural Landscape of Sintra
UNESCO World Heritage Site
CriteriaCultural: ii, iv, v
Reference723
Inscription1995 (19th Session)
Area946 ha
Sintra has a great number of preserved or classified architectural buildings:
Prehistoric
Barreira Megalithic Complex
Dolmen of Adrenunes (Portuguese: Anta de Adrenunes)
Dolmen of Agualva (Portuguese: Anta de Agualva/Anta do Carrascal)
Dolmen of Estria (Portuguese: Anta da Estria)
Dolmen of Monte Abraão (Portuguese: Anta do Monte Abraão)
Praia das Maçãs Prehistoric Monument (Portuguese: Monumento Pré-Histórico de Praia das Maçãs)
Tholos tomb of Monge (Portuguese: Tholos do Monge)
Although we were in Hawaii—Land of unbelievable sunrises and sunsets, I was consistently finding no interesting light at these times due to the cloud layer on the horizon. It blocked the light and any intense color from coming through. This morning I woke up for a sunrise on the northernmost point of Kauai, Kilauea. Got out there before sunrise and yes, it was totally blocked in. I waited and enjoyed the crashing waves. I found a series of tide pools with some nice marine life like this one that were still as glass—a nice contrast from the crashing waves. After waiting an hour the light started breaking through the clouds, creating some really nice atmosphere.
I was pretty close to the water here, trying to see if I could catch some of the fish and rock detail in the tide pool. I had to up the ISO a bit to make sure I fired the shutter at a speed that would freeze the fish. I fired another series of shots to get the right exposure in the sky and freeze some nice wave movement. The composition here is a little different with everything centered, but I do like how it brings your eye in at the bottom and up through the waves to the sky as well as the varying textures of the still water and violent waves. At the time, I didn’t think I really captured anything special here, but it grew on me as I processed it. ExposureScape.com
Sunset at the top of Independence Pass, CO. There have been consistent dustings of snow at the higher elevations, making the tall peaks a reminder than winter is well on its way.
I’ve been in California with Scotch for nearly 10 months now and in that time—including the 10 day drive from Washington, DC—I’ve filled up 9 32GB memory cards and have taken roughly 10,000 photos. I’d also estimate that 75% of those shots came in the first 3 months. As was the case back home before leaving, a lot of my trips were either exploring new places or shooting in bulk, hoping I’d eventually be able to post all the photos I wanted even as they’d get pushed further back with each trip.
I knew there was a drought and I knew Southern California was supposed to be a place with consistently perfect weather, but you’d never have known that in the early days of my trip that turned into a move. Sunny clear days and evenings were an anomaly and my biggest challenge was trying to deal with the Santa Ana winds when shooting long exposures. I know…sounds really tough haha.
As March and April came, I realized that while the winter here was incredible to shoot, the spring and summer brought the weather everyone (but me) desired. Gone were the clouds and rain, gone were the colorful skies and a golden haze crept over the area for months. A couple times each month, clouds would come back or overnight rain would push away the haze but for the most part, every day felt the same.
The weather here has cooled considerably and with it, some cloudy days have returned. It even rained a bit late Sunday night into the early morning but the early evenings are still generally cloudless. I’ve set out with Venice in mind 6 times in the last month, but only actually went 3 times. Of the voided trips, once was due to terrible traffic that would’ve had me arriving after dark and the others because the clouds I was promised from weather forecasts vanished half way there. From home, I drive straight towards Venice so I end up with 55 minutes of skyline in front of me and it’s usually pretty easy to tell if there will be a great sunset or if the trip will be a dud.
Really the only positives from those long breaks from shooting outdoors have been the ability to spend more time photographing and hanging out with Scotch, time to both go through my archives and work on my editing skills and upload some of the shots I never got a chance to show. I’ve been trying very hard to streamline my editing process the last few months and come up with a more consistent way to color correct images and reduce the amount of steps needed to get the photo right.
One of the first places I visited here back in January was Manhattan Beach and it also ended up being one of the more interesting trips I took. I arrived late afternoon to a golden, hazy sky which was initially disappointing until I got down to the pier and starting shooting. It was really crowded on the beach and after trying to wait out the people hovering by me or walking by, I finally switched to the 10 stop filter and kept it on for the rest of the visit. I essentially spent the time until dark in 2 places: directly beneath the pier and then just to the right of the pier. I posted a handful of shots from here many many months ago but always wanted to go back when I had a chance to edit some of the remaining images using the methods I use today. My hope was to get a significantly more accurate image that matched what my eyes saw as closely as possible. I really lucked out with the position of the sun and was able to shoot long exposures as the sun dipped and then hid behind the pier until it was gone. I took a few dozen images from here ranging from a few seconds to several minutes and while similar, the changing position of the sun and varying exposure times created different shadows and reflections which was amazing to see. Manhattan Beach is another place I expect to return to quite a bit once the cloudy fall and winter days return but in the interim, I do love looking back on many of the trips that helped to convince me not to return to Maryland :)
▪️ WHERE & WHEN ▪️
• Manhattan Beach Pier
• Manhattan Beach, California
• January 15th, 2016
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
▪️ SETTINGS ▪️
• Canon T4i
• EF-S 18-135mm IS STM
• @18mm
• ISO 100
• f/20
• 76 seconds
• ND1000
• CPL