Der 1955 eröffnete Tierpark Berlin entstand aufgrund der Teilung Deutschlands nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg. Der Zoologische Garten Berlin lag im britischen Sektor Berlins, daher fehlte Ost-Berlin eine eigene tiergärtnerische Einrichtung. Als geeignete Fläche wurde der Schlosspark Friedrichsfelde ausgewählt, weil dieser nach der Enteignung seiner Eigentümer nicht mehr gepflegt wurde. Der historische Teil des Tierparks wird durch das Schloss Friedrichsfelde und seine Gartenanlagen bestimmt. Der von Peter Joseph Lenné 1821 umgestaltete Landschaftspark diente als Basis für den Aufbau des Tierparks; er blieb weitgehend erhalten und wurde den Bedingungen eines zoologischen Parkes angepasst, denn der Berliner Tierpark ist vor allem eine Parkanlage. Breite Alleen, möglichst naturbelassene Waldbestände und großzügige Tieranlagen, die oft nur durch Wassergräben vom Besucher getrennt sind, prägen vor allem den alten Teil des Tierparks. Teich- und Wiesenanlagen erweitern den Park. Heute steht der Tierpark unter einer gemeinsamen Leitung mit dem bereits 1844 eröffneten Zoologischen Garten, dem ältesten noch bestehenden Zoo Deutschlands.

Quelle: Wikipedia.de

Opened in 1955, Berlin Tierpark (Animal Park) was created as a result of the division of Germany after the Second World War. The traditional Zoological Garden was located in the British sector of Berlin, so East Berlin lacked its own zoological garden. Friedrichsfelde Manor Park was chosen as a suitable area because it was no longer maintained after the expropriation of its owners. The historical part of the zoo is dominated by Friedrichsfelde Manor and its gardens. The landscape park, redesigned by Peter Joseph Lenné in 1821, served as the basis for the construction of the zoo; it was largely preserved and adapted to the conditions of a zoological park, because the Berlin Tierpark is primarily a park. Wide avenues, forest areas that are as natural as possible, and spacious animal facilities, often separated from the visitor only by moats, characterize above all the old part of the zoo. Ponds and meadows extend the park. Today, Berlin Tierpark is under the same management as the Zoological Garden, which was opened in 1844 and is the oldest zoo still existing in Germany.

Source: Wikipedia.de

Spacious greatness

Absolute superlative

Empiricist method

Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes

Henry David Thoreau

Victor Hugo

With those heavy-weight quotes I proceed to my little story of today (and you'll see the link between the citations):

As I am the one who left my home country to live here and there, it is ME who has to keep up contact with those I've left behind.

With some of those former acquaintances and so called friends, I found that there wasn't much to keep up with, more often existing friendships got even better because a rather great effort was required to stay in touch.

With others, the question didn’t even have to be asked. Of course, I stay in close contact with my family, and we take good care not to remove ourselves too far from their hearts.

Then, of course, one makes new friends and thus – over many years abroad – I gathered a rather large circle of lovely people around us who are ready to speak to each other, to visit, to undertake a trip/daytrip, willingly write letters, mails and cards, phone each other in regular or irregular intervals.

And lastly, there was ONE so very special ex-friend I took up contact with once more after a very long time of endured silence. About a year ago I established a first re-contact and today I was compelled to write a mail. I had a reply within seconds; a very important meeting was scheduled for later in the day and I was asked to think of them so that it would develop in a good fashion.

When, during the afternoon, we connected by phone, we got interrupted…. I waited for a while and then called back. Guess what; they got a mail with the satisfactory outcome of the matter at the very moment we got back together a second time. While we connected, the firm, our friends had a serious problem with, apologized for their behaviour towards them. Hard feelings and insults were put aside, apologies spoken and I myself had this strong feeling of being ‘whole’ again after a long break-up with this dear friend. Part of my heart was always severed throughout the whole time we lost contact and now I feel complete once more.

All of a sudden, it isn’t cold outside any longer, a warm feeling has taken up residence in me and the word is still cool, but in a good Monday Blue(s) way and not in an icy fashion!

I wish you experiences like mine; where stones of hindrance to happiness become pillars of strength and where tears of sadness change into tears of happiness.

Sorry for this late upload; I had other matters to attend to – but this had to go out before I go to bed :)

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is my dream...

The University of Bristol Botanic Gardens, in Stoke Bishop, Bristol, Avon.

The University of Bristol established a botanic garden in 1882 at Royal Fort House adjacent to Tyndall Avenue. It was laid out by Adolf Leipner. This site was later known as the Hiatt Baker Garden.

In 1959 the site of the Botanic Garden was used to build the university's Senate House. The botanic collection was moved to the spacious gardens of Bracken Hill beside North Road, Leigh Woods, near the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The Bracken Hill house and gardens had been established in 1886 by Melville Wills, a noted benefactor to Bristol University.

Bracken Hill house and some of the gardens continued to be used by the plant pathology and other services of the government's National Agricultural Advisory Service (NAAS), advising farmers and growers from Herefordshire and Dorset to Lands End during and after World War II when UK-grown crops were vital to minimise rationing. See, for instance, the cereal and vegetable diseases work of Lawrence Ogilvie at Bracken Hill. The NAAS staff, laboratories and offices had moved there from the Long Ashton Research Station also to the west of Bristol.

In 2005 the botanic collections were relocated to The Holmes, a site in Stoke Bishop opposite Churchill Hall. The Holmes had been built in 1879 and had a 1.77 hectares (4.4 acres) ornamental garden. It had been used by United States Army staff during the preparations for the Normandy landings during World War II. The new garden designed by Land Use Consultants advised by Peter Crane, was the first University Botanic Garden built in the UK in the 21st century.

The garden has 640 square metres (6,900 sq ft) of greenhouses divided into cool, warm-temperate, sub-tropic and tropical zones which house plants from the evolution collection. The tropical zone includes a raised pool with aquatic plants including the water lily Victoria cruziana.

The displays include 4500 plant species. These are divided into collections of evolution, Mediterranean, local-flora, rare-native, and finally useful plants. The useful-plant displays include herb gardens with western, Chinese and herbal medicine, including species used in Ayurvedic and Southern African medicine. Displays of plants from the Mediterranean climate region include those from several continents. Plant evolution is illustrated by several displays.

The local-flora and rare-native collection includes the unusual species found in the Avon Gorge, Mendip Hills, Somerset Levels and surrounding areas. These plants include the Bristol Onion, Cheddar Pink and various species of Whitebeam.

Books have been written about Old Square in Birmingham. It was the best place to live in the late 17th early 18th Century, It was a square to rival some of the London Squares, spacious and elegant houses flanked a central garden. During the 19th century Birmingham had spread, the elite were moving out to Handsworth and a tide of slum dwellings grew up on the east side of the square. Then the Grand New Corporation Street was driven through wiping out the slums on the eastern side, new commercial buildings were built and during the early part of the 20th century the square was mainly retail. Lewis's backed onto it and the original road into the square "Minories" was reduced to a narrow thoroughfare between the two Lewis's blocks.

Now we come to the 1962 picture, the elegant gardens have been replaced by an underground lavatory, a group of red phone boxes provide communitcation and one of those much missed city maps is useful to consult. The north side is being re-developed and the Victorian buildings have been swept away, worse was to follow. Town planners hate people, they are untidy so let us rid the streets of them, the whole centre of the square was excavated and where these people sat was dropped about 25 feet to a sunken "urban space" with mal-nourished raised beds in the middle and shops around the edge, all connected by a web of subways. The road swept unbroken round this island, traffic fumes made the few garden seats an unpleasant place to sit and the small shops didn't pay, the new lavatories shut early therefore the subways soon began to be even more unpleasant. A complete and utter disaster. It looked good on the plan though...

Now we have the new version, pedestrians have returned to street level and very little traffic uses the roads apart from a constant stream of buses and they are getting cleaner, seats are at ground level again and a new relief sculpture by Keith Budd has been built on the end wall, not as good as the highly coloured mosaic in the old sunken garden but well, you can't have everything.

Sadly this end of Birmingham is no longer the principal retail area, since Lewis's closed and later the Bull Ring developed this once thriving part of town has declined. Unfortunately Birmingham's Law Courts are situated further down Corporation Street and their clients do add a slight air of menace to the area.

Jean Wilson Circa 1962

Copyright Geoff Dowling: All rights reserved

Caloola, Sunbury consists of buildings set in extensive grounds with plantings of mature trees and remnant farmland. Caloola commenced in 1864 as an Industrial School, was redeveloped in 1879 as a Lunatic Asylum, substantially enlarged in the period 1891 to 1914 and was maintained in use as a psychiatric hospital (1879-1968) and later a training centre for the intellectually disabled (1962-1992). Part of the site became a Victoria University campus from 1994 to 2011 and the remainder is in use by the Department of Education.

The Industrial School consisted of ten basalt buildings (nine extant), designed under the direction of Public Works Department Inspector General William Wardell and constructed in 1865-66, four workrooms, kitchen, hospital, basalt farm building, road and stone wall remnants which were used to house and train neglected children in the 1860s. Boys in the Sunbury Industrial School worked on the farm and in the tailoring and shoe-making workshops to maintain themselves whilst in the institution and were given some basic education. Major alterations were undertaken to the earlier basalt wards in the period 1908-12 when the buildings were linked.

The Industrial School at Sunbury is believed to be the earliest surviving example in Victoria; of the original twelve industrial schools: only one other, constructed in 1875-76, survives at North West Hospital, Parkville.

The purpose built Sunbury Lunatic Asylum, constructed mainly between 1892 and 1912, was designed and constructed mainly under the direction of the Chief Architect of the Victorian Public Works Department, George Watson. A site plan was prepared by the talented architect Henry Bastow in 1888. Its pavilion wards in brick with terra cotta roofing tiles conformed to international standards of asylum and hospital planning adopted in the later nineteenth century and were a departure from the single monolithic buildings constructed at Kew and Beechworth. Electric lighting was installed in the wards in 1905-6. A tramway was laid linking the rear of the wards with the kitchen (built 1906-7) in 1908. Telephone and fire alarm systems were installed to connect the 20 separate buildings of the asylum in 1911.

The landscape designed by prominent landscape designer Hugh Linaker dates principally from the inter-war period The landscape also includes mature trees , mainly pines, cypress, oaks and elms and the remains of a drystone perimeter wall and a later brick ha ha wall.

How is it significant?

Caloola is of historical, architectural, aesthetic, archaeological and social significance to the State of Victoria.

Why is it significant?

The Caloola complex is of historical significance for its demonstration of attitudes to child welfare and mental health in its early industrial school buildings and asylum buildings, airing courts and gardens. .

Caloola is historically significant for the former Industrial School buildings constructed mainly from 1865-66. The school operated from 1865 to 1879 as the first purpose-built Industrial School in Victoria. The buildings at Sunbury are demonstrative of the harsh conditions which characterised such schools for neglected or delinquent children. The former Industrial School hospital (1865) is amongst the earliest hospital buildings surviving in the state.

Caloola is of historical significance for its typical asylum landscaping and site planning, its airing courts (many of which retain early sunshades and privies) and a complete example of a sunken wall (or ha ha wall). Asylums were typically distant from population centres, with extensive grounds and ha ha walls to prevent escape.

Caloola is historically significant for its purpose built Sunbury Lunatic Asylum, constructed between 1892 and 1912. Caloola's large and architecturally impressive buildings in a curved detached pavilion arrangement demonstrate changes in the accommodation and treatment of mentally ill patients in the nineteenth century. The clear evidence of farming operations also demonstrates the policy of employing boys in industrial schools to train them in farm work and the later policy of involving physically able mentally ill patients in outdoor work.

Caloola is of historical significance for its physical fabric and spaces which demonstrate nineteenth century attitudes to the treatment of mental illness, including the padded cells, ripple iron cells and dormitory accommodation. The female refractory ward, originally designed for male criminally insane patients, demonstrates contemporary practices in dealing with female patients who were transferred from the general wards for disruptive behaviour.

The Caloola complex is of historical significance for their association with the talented Public Works Department architects from the 1860s, and particularly associated with Henry Bastow and Chief Architect George Watson, who were responsible for the design of the pavilion buildings from the 1890s to 1912. Its association with noted landscape designer, Hugh Linaker, who was responsible for the grounds from 1912, is also significant.

The Caloola site is of archaeological significance for its potential to contain historical archaeological features, deposits and relics that relate to the construction and use of the Industrial School and the Lunatic Asylum.

Caloola is of architectural significance for its institutional buildings of the 1860s and the 1890s. Its industrial school buildings of the 1860s are typical of the Public Works Department output of the 1860s, use local material, have simple classically derived detailing and gain much of their importance by the repetition of forms. Major alterations were undertaken to the earlier basalt wards in the period 1908-12 when the buildings were linked. The planning of these links is accomplished and contributed to the continuity of use of the site and represented changing attitudes to mental health.

The site at Sunbury is architecturally significant for its rare and intact examples of an industrial school and a late nineteenth century lunatic asylum. The site contains rare examples of hairpin fencing used to enclose airing courts for patients. Outdoor shelters or sunshades for patients are also uncommon in Victoria.

The Caloola complex is of architectural significance for its industrial school and asylum buildings. The earliest of the remaining buildings of the Sunbury Industrial School are architecturally significant as forming the earliest purpose built example of its type,. They are important for their bluestone construction and austere style which distinguished them from the later asylum buildings. The 1860s buildings which exhibit classically derived detailing are constructed of local basalt. The red brick and timber buildings of the principal phase of asylum expansion of 1891 to 1912 are of architectural significance for innovative design as a pavilion hospital grouping and include distinctive detailing.

Caloola is architecturally significant as a former lunatic asylum, one of several surviving in the state. It demonstrates typical characteristics such as formal planning, use of sunken walls (ha ha walls), airing courts and a diverse range of building types to cater for the patient and staff population. They gain their architectural significance from the unity of materials, overall cohesiveness of design, consistent and distinctive detailing (especially in the unusual use of buttresses and steep roofs in the former hospital wards), impressive site planning and spacious setting.

The Caloola complex is of aesthetic significance for the quality and range of its architecture and garden elements, consistent use of basalt, red brick and terra cotta tiles, its consistency of architectural styles and materials within the two major building phases, for its landscape planning and plantings and for its prominent siting on the hill with views to and from the site...(VHR)

Spacious.. but not.

dennissylvesterhurd.blogspot.com/2019/11/our-one-day-440k...

Portland, OR

[Hefei, Anhui, China] The spacious access hall of the Anhui cultural museum, a free-admission educational venue in the provincial capital Hefei, exhibiting modern architecture and pieces of the province's history and traditions.

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…we went upstairs into a spacious studio. The invigorating, nutty smell of

oil paint delighted my senses. It seemed as if I had stepped inside of the

painting. The enormous room dissolved the concentrated scent of oil paints and transformed into Asian perfume. Stepping inside an artist’s studio every time put me into the position of Alice in Wonderland. Surrounded by scattered paintings, brushes, pallets, paint tubes, roles of canvases, and sketch pads, I was searching for the special conversational piece. If I could only find the right piece, which would be the artist’s favorite, I knew it

would break the ice. The first painting that caught my attention put me suddenly under hypnosis and I don’t recall for how long I was staring at it, whether it was a minute or an hour. This is not, in any way, an exaggeration but a real-live experience.

Evidently, Jaisini noticed that I was trapped by one of his paintings and broke the silence.

-Do you like that piece, or are you looking for a starting point to criticize it?

However it is, I welcome your criticisms rather than flattery.

-Your painting develops in my mind like photosensitive paper in a developer. On second thought, I sense an aesthetic pleasure from just the color harmony, but I still need more time-I said.

-No problem, take your time while I finish a sketch.

I had to postpone the interview in order to get a better look at the painting

that captured me. The artist put on some classical music. I began taking notes about what I had seen while he was silently sketching. As time flew

by, it was getting dark outside and the music ended long ago. I glanced at

the watch and realized that 4 hours had already elapsed and I didn’t even start the interview.

Jaisini was still concentrating on his work and it was obvious that I should’ve called it a day. Setting the convenient time for tomorrow I left.

…we met at the café.

I could tell that Jaisini was in a good mood and the interview has a better chance today. Perhaps his work went well, I thought. Jaisini greeted me as someone he had already befriended….

…-Positively, the painting I was contemplating in your studio sticks to my mind

Jaisini answered;

-It happens to many. I like this cafe. It is always so picturesque. The people

here make it colorful. For example, do you see that waitress?

-The small blond in her late thirties?

-Yes, her name is Nancy. Three years ago she told me that she wanted to become famous and in her free time she writes a script for a movie, convincing me that it will be the first script of its kind, a love story based on

her memoir.

Jaisini smiled charmingly, adding: -Oh, no, I am not joking. I believe in her. Once I invited her to the studio, as

she seemed like such a peculiar person. I was just finishing my painting called “Organ Grinder”. She declared frankly and firmly: ”I want this picture. How much?”

I explained to her that I don’t sell paintings.

Then I experienced certain chemistry. When such a “simple” person, but still

the one who writes the script, says: “I want the “Organ Grinder”, it was the

strangest thing. I didn’t like the painting one bit and after that, all of a sudden, I started seeing it in a different light of something very pure and

divine. She wanted so badly to own the picture that she induced her desire on me. I think that to create this “divine” we have to get down with people, declass to become simple and understand art with awe. Even though Gleitzeit is not for regular people, it can be understood by a mailman who asked me for an autograph, by an immigrant who came to the US to earn

money, or by a priest from England who told me that this art is for intellectuals, not for ambitious people who say, “I understand this art while others don’t.”.

-Do you think that your pictures relate to people as if they are puzzles of human life?

-When a man is awake, a man is asleep; everything encloses. And when you enclose your line you create the reality in which the man truly exists not knowing that he is entrapped in a secluded world of his own doing which he cannot escape. The enclosed line may provoke the desire to breakout, to find an exit.

-The question arises, what is fine art now and who needs it? The elite?

-Yes, but people crave art too if a mailman asked me for my autograph on a postcard after I had to explain him about the picture he saw. Before I explained the painting the man felt scared of breaking his head over it. It is understandable when in schools art is taught as an entertainment, not as a psychological significance, a process of growth, a visualization of today’s reality, an analysis of social life and ancient history, or the world’s history that brought people to the technical progress.

- To build a family is more important for that man.

-Yes, he understands his purpose of trying to build a family of five with eighteen grandchildren. A man’s genetic structure is of a turtle’s and is directed to one, laying eggs by any means and returning in a year through six thousand miles across the ocean to lay eggs again at the same place. But pay attention that bravado of the civilized world brings a realization that everything is a sham. Real is what is encoded by nature; real is when you see a beautiful ocean, a beautiful sunrise, or the grace of a horse. This is real.

- Then what is fine art? Is fine beautiful or good?

-Beautiful. It began from nature, from the copying of beautiful bodies of people and horses…. My main direction in art is most progressive, to achieve in composition the grace of color combinations, an intellectual color climax, tone, contrast, and so on. The idea of the painting unites in itself everything we see in the real world, but in an intricate, puzzle-like concept.

-Art in America is a tendency for immediate recognition. The remembrance is strictly visual since there was no comprehension. First they want to see that it’s different. What about Gleitzeit, how do you see this visual effect expressed?

-A regular person, either a lady florist, my tennis partner, or a teenage cowboy comes to my studio and says: “I don’t understand this art and

I don’t want to see it, it’s not mine. When the lady florist starts seeing some figures in a painting, she shouts, “I see! Look! Look! I see it now!” like a child. A man denies what he doesn’t understand as an immediate reaction. An everyday man is brought up on the understanding of natural grace. He doesn’t assimilate it in an abstract

way. He sees an egg and a hen and points out which are the egg and the hen. In my picture he can’t say that this is an egg and this is a hen at first. Moreover, he can’t say what came first, the egg or the hen. He sees something very simple or very complicating. The man refuses to do an effort. Slowly, not even slowly, but pretty quickly the man can

transform if he learns.

-Do you want to change the process of art cognition? The judgment is not based on the appearance since ‘we’ve seen all there is to see’ with and without philosophy, like when they sell us Coca-Cola they tell us about the transcendental. We are understanding folks. Do you want this “flat” cognition to change?

- A man is looking for an escape. I try to attach him to a thread in the picture, which is twisted, to untangle it. What is next? Did he learn something? Yes, and he also begins to understand abstraction after the knot is undone. This is flexitime. Will the work turn blank? No, since it still has an idea. If it would be an automated drawing by a schoolchild that may look like something there is no concept. In my art you have an idea and mastership. The key is the artist’s mastership. A weak painting will not survive. What is left to the spectator is aesthetic pleasure and confidence.

-What if people ask you for a simpler art? Why do they have to untangle your art?

- I answer simply. It’s not my doing and decision. I didn’t decide it. The art critics said so, they who studied art all their life and read volumes of books. They say that they analyzed it and it has this and that meaning, non other. That an artist is a reflection of society.

- Do you consider yourself a reflection?

-No, I don’t. Philosophers try to understand what is art and life. I only

insist that grace will not diminish in value.

… and I caught myself on a thought that I wanted to know how the story with the scriptwriter waitress ended. If the painting is still in the artist’s holdings I would like to see it to know why she wanted it so badly. And I asked…From 48 hours of the Interview with Paul Jaisini in his New York studio

Wang Tianliang

These Western Bluebird nestlings are enjoying their luxury lodging — each bird has its own window to take in the view.

These birds had fledged when I checked in on them the next day. More photos and info on this bluebird family can be found here.

dennissylvesterhurd.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-neighbourhoo...

The Monastery of Holy Trinity is in the cross-in-square type with the dome based in two columns, built in 1475-76 and decorated in 1741. The spacious barrel - vaulted esonarthex was founded in 1689 and decorated in 1692. A small skeuophylakeion was added next to the church in 1684.

The Metéora (Greek: Μετέωρα, "suspended rocks", "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above" - etymologically similar to "Meteorite") is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

It lies at a distance of 105 kilometres from Ioannina, 285 from Thessaloniki, and 326 from Athens.

The filming of the James Bond movie "For Your Eyes Only", starring Roger Moore, took place at this famous location.

Thanassis Fournarakos - Θανασης Φουρναρακος

Professional Photographer, retired.

Athens, Greece

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None of my images may be downloaded, copied, reproduced, manipulated or used on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission. THANK YOU!

This photograph has achieved the following highest awards:

* EXCEPTIONAL PHOTOS FROM - OF GREEKS FOR 2012 #6 GALLERY

Cadillac, Maldon Car show, July '15.

Jordan - Jerash

Jerash, located 48 km north of Amman and nestled in a quiet valley among the mountains of Gilead, is the grandeur of Imperial Rome being one of the largest and most well preserved sites of Roman architecture in the World outside Italy. To this day, its paved and colonnaded streets, soaring hilltop temples, handsome theaters, spacious public squares and plazas, baths, fountains and city walls pierced by towers and gates remain in exceptional condition.

This fascinating city makes a great day-trip from Amman, particularly in spring, when the wildflowers are in bloom. The drive will take you less than an hour, but will transport you 2000 years back in time. Within the remaining city walls, archeologists have found the ruins of settlements dating back to the Neolithic Age, indicating human occupation of this location for more than 6500 years. This is not surprising, as the area is ideally suited for human habitation.

Jerash has a year-round supply of water, while its altitude of 500 meters gives it a temperate climate and excellent visibility over the surrounding low-lying areas.

The history of Jerash is a blend of the Greco-Roman world of the Mediterranean basin and the ancient traditions of the Arab Orient. Indeed, the name of the city itself reflects this interaction. The earliest Arabic/Semitic inhabitants named their village Garshu. The Romans later Hellenised the former Arabic name into Gerasa, and at the end of the 19th century, the Arab and Circassian inhabitants of the small rural settlement transformed the Roman Gerasa into the Arabic Jerash.

It was not until the days of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC that Jerash truly began to develop into a sizeable town. But it was during the period of Roman rule that Jerash, then known as Gerasa, enjoyed its golden age. The first known historical reference to Jerash dates back to the 2nd or early 1st century BC. This reference is attributed to Josephus, a historian from the Holy Land, who referred to it as the the place to which Theodorus, the tyrant of Philadelphia, removed his treasure for safe keeping in the Temple of Zeus. Shortly afterward, Theodorus lost Jerash to Alexander Jannceus, a religious priest. Soon after Rome took control of Syria, Emperor Pompey, in 63 BC, named conquered Jerash as one of the great cities of the Decapolis

League. This brought great economic benefits to Jerash and trade flourished with the Nabataean Empire based in Petra. In 106 AD, Emperor Trajan annexed the wealthy Nabataean Kingdom and formed the province of Arabia. This brought even greater trading riches pouring into Jerash, which enjoyed a burst of construction activity. Granite was brought from as far away as Egypt, and old temples were rebuilt according to the latest architectural fashion. The city received yet another boost in stature with the visit of Emperor Hadrian in 129 AD. To honor its guest, the citizens raised a monumental Triumphal Arch at the southern end of the city. Jerash's prosperity reached a peak in the beginning of the 3rd century, when it was bestowed with the rank of Roman Colony. During this "golden age", Jerash may have had a population of 20,000 people. The ancient city preserved today was the administrative, civic, commercial and cultural center of this community, while the majority of the city's citizens lived on the east side of Jerash Valley. As the 3rd century progressed, shipping began to take over as the main route for commerce. Jerash fell into decline as its previously lucrative trade routes became less traveled and therefore less valuable.

By the middle of the 5th century, Christianity had become the major religion of the region and numerous churches were constructed in Jerash. Many churches were constructed of stones taken from pagan temples - and the remains of several can be seen today. Jerash was hit further by the Persian invasion of 614 AD and the Muslim conquest of 636 AD. A series of earthquakes in 749 AD did serious damage to the city and hastened its decline, and its population sank to 4000. The Crusaders described Jerash as uninhabited, and it remained abandoned until its rediscovery in 1806, when Ulrich Jasper Seetzen, a German traveler, came across and recognized a small part of the ruins. The ancient city was buried in sand, which accounts for its remarkable preservation. It has been gradually revealed through a series of excavations, which started in 1925, and continue to this day.

It's fair to say that 2019 will be a big year for Virgin Atlantic, not only has the carrier announced an order for new Airbus A330-900s at the 2019 Paris Air Show, but the carrier will also take delivery of their first Airbus A350-1000 which will mark a massive change for the carrier.

The 12 Airbus A350-1000s will replace the ageing Airbus A340-600s and the last remaining Boeing 747-400 fleet. The Airbus A350-1000s will feature brand new interior cabins; which sees the Herringbone Upper Class seats replaced in favour of a modified Reverse Herringbone layout with seats manufactured by Safran, going for the Cirrus NG model. The Upper Class bar will be replaced by a new social space known as 'The Loft'.

Premium Economy will be in an 8-abreast layout which will utilise Collins Aerospace MiQ seats which have been criticised for not being as spacious as their existing fleet. Economy will be in a 9-abreast layout with the seats being Recaro CL3710's.

Currently, Virgin Atlantic operates 14 Airbus A330s, which includes 4 Airbus A330-200s and 10 Airbus A330-300s. Virgin Atlantic have 14 Airbus A330-900s on-order with options for a further 6.

Since the unveiling of the new cabins, Virgin Atlantic have scheduled the Airbus A350-1000s beginning from 10th September 2019. As per Airline Route, Airbus A350-1000s will replace Airbus A330-300 operation on VS153/138 on a 6 times weekly basis operating excluding Thursday. From 25th September 2019, Airbus A350-1000s will be utilised on VS137/138, once again operating 6 times weekly excluding Thursday.

For the W19 schedule, Airbus A350-1000s are expected to continue service on VS137/138, but will operate excluding Tuesdays, although on selected dates will also not operate on Saturdays. So far, Virgin Atlantic have yet to release their Airbus A350-1000 schedule for the S20 schedule.

Victor Kilo Sierra Sierra is one of 10 Airbus A330-300s in service with Virgin Atlantic, delivered new to the carrier on lease from AerCap on 28th February 2011 and she is powered by 2 Rolls-Royce Trent 772B-60 engines.

Airbus A330-343X G-VKSS 'Mademoiselle Rouge' on final approach into Runway 27L at London Heathrow (LHR) on VS138 from New York-John F. Kennedy (JFK).

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This build is specifically inspired by the novel "Ilse Witch", the first in a trilogy aptly entitled "The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara". These books are part of Terry Brook's classic "Shannara" series of novels (some of which were adapted into a popular TV series as well) - this was the series that proved fantasy could be accessible and commercially successful with mainstream audiences after the breakout success of Tolkien's Middle Earth novels. Unlike many other fantasy series, it's set in a world which sees substantial technological and magical innovation over the course of 32 novels and thousands of years.

The Jerle Shannara is the fastest and most advanced airship ever built, and her crew of the Jerle Shannara are voyaging west from the Elven capital city of Arborlon, across the Blue Divide, to the uncharted continent of Parkasia, in search of the lost Blue Elfstones, guided only by a mysterious map washed ashore with a lost prince, their last known user.

The crew have been selected from across the many races of the Four Lands, for their unique talents.

• From Paranor, the Druid's Keep, comes one-armed Walker Boh, the last of the druid order.

• From the Southlands, comes highlander Quentin Leah, heir to the mysterious Sword of Leah, and his childhood friend Bek Rowe.

• From the Eastlands, comes the dwarf woodsman Panax, and the mysterious shapeshifter Truhls Rohk.

• From the Westland elves, come Prince Ahren Elessedil, Captain Ard Patrinell of the Home Guard, the tracker Tamis.

• From the Wing Hove, the elf Hunter Predd and his mighty roc, Obsidian.

• From the Rover communities of the Westlands, the ship's captain Redden "Big Red" Alt Mer, his twin sister Rue "Little Red" Meridian, and the mysterious seer Ryer Ord Star.

The airships of the Four Lands are solar-powered and require active thrust to stay aloft. The sails, called "light sheaths", absorb solar energy, which is channeled through special rigging, the "radian draws", into the parse tubes which house the diapson crystals. It is these crystals which store the solar energy and distribute it through the ship's thrusters.

The Jerle Shannara comes with many play features, making it not only a display piece for adult collectors, but also a fun playset!

• The captain's cabin in the front of the ship has been converted into two smaller cabins with folding bunks to account for the unusual crew. Captain "Big Red" shares the port cabin with Prince Ahren Elessedil, and his sister, "Little Red", shares the starboard cabin with Ryer Ord Star. A privacy curtain separates the two cabins on the aft side of the mast, and sliding panels allow access to a shared washroom in the fore of the cabin.

• A removable platform between the main hull and port pontoon provides landing space for Obsidian to roost between scouting flights.

• Other crew members can wrap themselves in their cloaks and sleep in the pontoons.

• The ship is armed with a complement of ballistae to defend against hostile airships, and the ramps may be lowered to send over a boarding party.

• The galley occupies the center of the ship and features a long table where the crew can dine together, or study their maps and charts.

• The storage room in the aft of the ship has fresh water, food, the armory, and spare parts to make repairs on the long voyage.

• The rope ladder may be raised and lowered to take on supplies and passengers.

• The ship's wheel in the pilot box really controls the thrusters on either side of the ship's rudder, and the capstan hauls up the dual anchors!

• The masts are grippable so crew members can climb up into the rigging.

• Obsidian's wings fold and unfold realistically to move between flying and roosting positions.

Set consists of approximately 2700pcs, including 12 minifigures. The ship is quite spacious and this number of figures does not feel crowded - as you can see from the renderings, they spread out quite nicely.

Temple of Apollo at Schwetzingen Palace and Gardens, Schwetzingen, Rhine-Neckar metropolitan area, Baden-Wuerttemberg

Some background information:

Schwetzingen Palace is a Baroque palace in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is situated in in the town of Schwetzingen, near the larger cities of Heidelberg and Mannheim. Schwetzingen was the summer residence of the Electors Palatine Charles III Philip and Charles IV Theodore (both of the House of Wittelsbach). Next to the palace itself and the most notable, spacious and ornate gardens, the compound also features a palace theatre, which is still in use today.

The origins of Schwetzingen Palace date back to 1350, when a small moated castle occupied the site. The main building, as it is still today, replaces a 17th-century hunting lodge built on the foundations of the moated castle of which it also retains some foundations and walling (hence the slightly irregular layout). It was built in its current form in several building campaigns between 1700 and 1750. Construction began in the reign of Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz, for whom the palace was not yet to be an official summer residence, but a simple hunting lodge. The palace owes its current form to the Prince Elector Johann Wilhelm, who commissioned alterations in 1697. The addition of two wings, which mainly served as orangeries, significantly increased its size.

After Schwetzingen Palace had become the official summer residence of the electorate, the whole court – altogether more than 1,500 people – had to move to Schwetzingen in the time between the beginning of April and the beginning of November. The decision to make Schwetzingen the summer residence was owed to the fact that Mannheim as the elector’s former all-season seat, smelled badly during the summers. At that time, Mannheim was a major city and the streets were full of horse droppings, which exhaled a disgusting stench in the warmer times of the year.

That’s why Schwetzingen flourished under the Palatine Prince Elector Charles IV Theodore (1724 to 1799). However, it was his wife, Countess Palatine Elisabeth Auguste of Sulzbach, who wore the breeches and de facto ruled the Palatinate and Bavaria during the first half of their marriage. It was her, who was the legal heir by birth, but could not come into inheritance, as she was no male heir. Therefore her marriage with Charles IV Theodore was arranged to avoid a potential inheritance dispute within the different family branches. Not until 1760, it was reported that Charles IV Theodore freed himself from her dominance. However, all his life Charles IV Theodore was more interested in arts than in politics. In particular he was taken by music. Hence it is not surprising that even Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a guest at Schwetzingen Palace three times.

Under Elisabeth Auguste and Charles IV Theodore, Schwetzingen Palace reached the height of splendour. Both instructed the leading landscape architects of the age to design the gardens, including the Frenchman Nicolas de Pigage and later the German Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell, with assistance from many renowned artists. From 1749 onwards, they created a masterpiece of rare beauty and rich variety. The central part of the gardens, including the wings of the main building, which form a semi-circle each, leafy avenues and a circular parterre, is laid out geometrically, with a focus on symmetry and order. In the late 18th century, an English-style landscape park was added to the Baroque garden – the Arborium Theodoricum, as it is called, is one of the earliest of its kind in Germany.

Schwetzingen Palace Gardens are a cultural heritage site of European significance: more than 100 sculptures are scattered throughout this wonderful, and at times surprising, landscape. An assortment of whimsical buildings lends an exotic touch. The temple of Apollo, a small, round building, houses a statue of the ancient Greek god of light and the arts, playing the lyre. The bath house is a summerhouse with its own garden, modelled on an Italian villa. And, most spectacularly, in the Turkish gardens, there is a mosque designed by Nicolas de Pigage – the largest structure of its kind in a German garden. The mosque is also the earliest mosque-style building in Germany. It was built between 1779 and 1791, at a time when the “Turkish” style was fashionable in Germany. Ornamented with oriental details, the late-Baroque building was purely decorative and served no religious purpose.

Today, Schwetzingen Palace and Gardens are open to the public. The electoral 18th-century rooms can be visited within a guided tour, but unfortunately it is not allowed to take photos of the palace’s interior.

Nowadays, the town of Schwetzingen has more than 22,000 residents. In 766, it was first mentioned in a document. Originally it consisted of two settlements – Ober- and Unterschwetzingen – that grew together in the course of the 17th and 18th century. Both settlements belonged to the diocese of Worms, but later passed to the Counts of the Palatinate in the 12th century. Nowadays, Schwetzingen is not only known for its palace, but also for the cultivation of asparagus, of which it is said that it is the best asparagus throughout Germany. Asparagus is cut from early April to mid-June and during this time you can taste many different asparagus dishes in almost all restaurants of the town.

The Westin Bellevue Hotel Dresden (since has become Bilderberg Bellevue Hotel Dresden) is the best and most elegant hotel that I've ever stayed. And it wasn't expensive when I booked it. My room cost only EUR 84 per night including all fees and taxes.

Very spacious room by European standard, large bed, large bathroom, a proper desk and plenty of space for luggage and souvenir storage :D

1x1x1 seating configuration reminds me of Highway Express. Very spacious isle.

I decided to try the drone out this evening to make my first vertical panorama. The drone is remarkably steady enough in the air to allow for these 2 shots. Joined together in Photoshop Creative Cloud.

Subtle Shades Spacious Side Seating Off Hyatt Regency Hotel Lobby Atlanta Georgia - IMRAN®

I enjoyed staying at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia during a visit before Christmas 2024. The hotel has a super spacious strangely sparse lobby. You’ve probably seen my video post about it. I’ll try to share a link in the comments.

This seating area is to the side, towards the elevators to get to the rooms on the tower side, if I recall correctly. Spacious, subtle, simple.

© 2024-2025 IMRAN®

Spacious exhibit hall during the process and each MOC has a display case

Engineering Brick Art at Morris Museum NJ

December 17, 2016 through February 26, 2017

Even buildings with stone walls and enormous timbers cannot stand forever

Great view; tough to heat.

Veitshoechheim Castle, Veitshoechheim, Franconia (Bavaria)

Some background information:

Veitshoechheim Castle nearby the banks of the river Main is the former summer residence of the prince-bishops of Wuerzburg. Built from 1680 to 1682 on plans by the Italian architect Antonio Petrini it initially served as a hunting château. From 1749 to 1753 the famous German architect of the Baroque period Balthasar Neumann gave the castle its current appearance. He added an upper floor and two new wings.

In 1760 a huge château park of more than 120.000 square metres was laid out by prince-bishop Adam-Friedrich von Seinsheim, which nowadays is the only all-originally surviving château park from the Rococo period throughout Germany. The park contains fountains, water gardens, pavilions, artificial ruins and sandstone sculptures galore by the court sculptors Ferdinand Tietz, Johann Peter Wagner and Johann Wolfgang von der Auvera. Between 1806 and 1814 Veitshoechheim Castle was the summer residence of Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who became prince-elector of Wuerzburg when losing his original princedom in the Treaty of Lunéville in 1801. After Napoleon’s fall in 1814 Ferdinand III was restored as Grand Duke of Tuscany and therefore returned into his home country. In the same year the duchy of Franconia was abolished and together with the whole territory of the duchy also Veitshoechheim Castle entered into possession of the Bavarian kings.

In 1918 this stately home fell to the share of the Free State of Bavaria. Since 1932 Veitshoechheim Castle is open to the public. Both château park and interiors can be visited. But if you plan to visit it, be careful as there’s another story about the wallpapers to be mentioned: Some of them still contain the colour “Paris Green” which was used to preserve both luminosity and durability. “Paris Green” comprises a heavy dose of arsenic, which at the present day is known as being able to cause intoxications just by breathing it. So don’t stay inside too long! ;-)

Don’t they look sad…?

Taken at Safari West, Santa Rosa, California

Surprisingly, all animals have spacious enclosures while these huge ones are in a sort of open cubicles! I dont know whether they are let out at other times...

My Photoblog- My third Eye...!

Nene Park

Must get out more...

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The term "Schwerer Panzerspähwagen" (= heavy armoured reconnaissance vehicle) covers a broad family of 6- and later 8-wheeled armored cars Germany used before and during the Second World War.

In the German Army, armored cars were originally intended for the traditional cavalry missions of reconnaissance and screening. They scouted ahead and to the flanks of advancing mechanized units to assess enemy location, strength and intention. Their primary role was reconnaissance, but they would engage similar or light units and at times attempt to capture enemy patrols.

At the Eastern front they were retired after the battle of Moscow in December 1941, and the last vehicles were used by the Afrikakorps in Northern Africa until late 1942.

Specifications:

Crew: Four (commander, gunner, driver, radio operator/rear driver)

Weight: 5,2 tons (11.450 lb)

Length: 5,57 metres (18 ft 3 in)

Width: 1,82 metres (5 ft 11 ½ in)

Height (incl. antenna): 2,87 metres (9 ft 4 ¾ in)

Ground clearance: 28.5 cm (10 in)

Suspension: Torsion bar and leaf springs (front axle)

Fuel capacity: 105 litres (23 imp gal; 28 US gal)

Armor:

8–30 mm (0.31 – 1.18 in)

Performance:

Maximum road speed: 65 km/h (41 mph)

Sustained road speed: 48 km/h (30 mph)

Cross country speed: up to 35 km/h (22 mph)

Operational range: 250 km (155 miles)

Power/weight: 19,23 PS/ton

Engine:

Maybach HL42 TRKM water-cooled straight 6-cylinder petrol engine with 100 hp (74 kW)

Transmission:

Maybach 7 + 3 speed VG 102128 H

Armament:

1× 20 mm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon with 200 rounds

1× MG 13 machine gun mounted co-axially with 1.300 rounds

6× smoke dischargers, mounted to the vehicle’s front

The kit and its assembly:

This little, fictional vehicle was inspired by one of some profile drawings created and published by Logan Hartke at whatifmodelers.com, showing the Sd. Kfz. 232 with different half track arrangements – including the Sd. Kfz. 250's. When I finally got hold of the Italeri Sd. Kfz. 232 kit with the unique antenna (there’s also a more frequent one without this detail), I decided to re-create the 232/251 combo, because the vehicle looked really good and plausible, and there would actually have been a historic gap between 1939 and 1941 when it could have been realized, as outlined in the background.

The Italeri kit was basically built OOB, just the chassis had to be modified – with the help of a resin set with 1:72 Sd. Kfz. 250 tracks and front wheels from German short run manufacturer ModelTrans/Silesian Models. The parts were crisp and quite clean, and the track parts as well as the front wheels were mated to the original suspension with the help of added axis' as spacers between the two tracks. Just the mudguards had to be modified in order to match the more spacious, new running gear - since an extension was not easy I decided to just use their front and back ends and implant a new upper deck between them, adding a styrene profile on the flanks so that the original shape of the wheel arches could be more or less retained. Ended up better than expected!

The small gap between the tracks' and the front wheels' mudguards was closed with a small piece of styrene - similar to the Sd, Kfz. 250's arrangement.

As a vehicle operating in North Africa I added an improvised sun sail to the antenna array, made from paper tissue that was soaked in highly thinned white glue and later painted.

Painting and markings:

Many German vehicles that had been transferred to Northern Africa initially retained their original camouflage, and that was a uniform, very dark grey (RAL 7021, to be specific), sometimes with dark brown mottles added. This was totally unsuited for the environment, so that the crews had to improvise. Some vehicles were painted with Italian colors, even British paints (from salvaged enemy bases and convoys) were used. Alternatively, many crews mixed sand and dirt with water in a bucket and “painted” their grey vehicles over, or the hull was smeared with oil and sand was thrown onto it. It took quite a while until dedicated Africa colors had been developed and used in the factories or even in the field, so that some interesting schemes appeared.

My Sd. Kfz. 232 was to represent one of these all-grey vehicles that had received an improvised desert camouflage “on the go”. In order to create this look, I gave the whole vehicle an initial primer coat in Humbrol 67. Once dry, I added a streaky coat of thinned Revell 16 (Sand) on every upper/external surface, letting the dark grey shine through here and there. The areas for the national markings and tactical codes were spared, so that the decals would later astand out on a dark "halo" of the original color.

On top of the improvised desert camouflage I also added sand and dust through highly thinned paintbox colors (ochre and some burnt umber).

The sun sail was painted in field grey, but it received a dry brushing treatment in order to emphasize the tissue texture as well as the antenna shape below, and it was also "dusted" with paintbox colors.

Finally, everything was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish from the rattle can and teh lower vehicle areas were lightly dusted with mineral pigments.

A quick project, realized in just three days. The running gear conversion itself was quite simple - the biggest issues were the extension of the rear mudguards and the fiddly and highly delicate antenna array. But the result looks quite good - and in the unusual desert camouflage for this type of vehicle it's really a weird sight.

Spacious and practical, our 2-floor maisonettes are ideal for 2 couples or a small family!

www.oscarvillage.com/accommodation/two-bedroom-apartments...

📷 @spyros / 👩 @foxyarchaeologist

#OscarHotel #OscarSuites #OscarVillage #OscarSuitesVillage #HotelChania #HotelAgiaMarina #HotelCrete #Crete #Chania #AgiaMarina #summer #travel #instatravel #travelgram #2bedroomapartment

Pure serendipity! I happened across this barn and amazing cloud formations while driving through the beautiful state of Idaho.

Natural Born Hikers

The spacious Wild Rice Restaurant is a good place stop for a mid-afternoon snack with high tea buffet, offering local cuisines, noodles, various of Malay kuih, fruits, cakes, bread and sandwiches, and wide range of tea and coffee. You may also have a self-making ice kacang with scoops of different flavour ice creams, if you still have any room in your belly.

Wild Rice Restaurant, Boulevard Hotel, Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Large

Check it out...my new loft apartment. HUGE potential.

WELL, OK... I'm kidding about that but I am WORKING in this building on a massive empty floor with killer light & shadows.

Mentally place yourself in this room, (remote viewing if you know how )now turn around & you would see the image SHADOWS & TALL TREES right behind you.

Flushing, Brooklyn

NYC

This is a very nice and huge Kmart store I’ve ever been to. It’s very disappointing that it closing down but it’s understandable, the location for it is terrible since It’s next to Wegmans, and Walmart is down the street from it. 1990’s Kmarts are definitely one of my favorite Kmart stores from that era.

Kmart

Jamestown, NY

Spacious, tidy platforms proudly befitting traditions greet racegoers this day at the Racecourse Station set attractively in it's semi-rural position.

Applying power, passing by with quarried aggregates is loco 47 097 at about 14.45

35mm, Ilford FP4

18th April 1980

The Sears Essentials carpeting really does make it nicer to shop this store, as does the fact that the store is so spacious. Most Kmart apparel departments are so crammed full of racks that it is difficult to get a cart through.

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The Kmart of Parsippany opened in 1998 and was a flagship Big Kmart store for the company. It was one of the company's first Big Kmart stores, and the store was featured on the commercial which launched the Big Kmart concept nationwide.

In the commercial, a blue tarp is being removed from the sign as the Big Kmart jingle is played "There's a new old friend in the same old place, with a brand new name and a brand new face". A mock parade was even staged in nearby Boonton, NJ with Kathy Ireland jogging down the main street and Martha Stewart driving an 18-wheeler. Scenes of Bob Hope eating breakfast were filmed at the local Boonton Diner.

The 120,000 sq. ft. Big Kmart store replaced a former Kmart one mile up the highway, which had originally been a J.M. Fields. In 2005, the store was re-bannered as Sears Essentials. New Sears carpeting, separate dressing rooms for men and women, and better-quality Sears fixtures were installed as part of the conversion. Unfortunately, many departments were poorly merchandised and shoppers encountered lots of empty shelf space in the huge store. To top it off, Eddie Lampert and his crew raised prices. The previously proud and busy Kmart quickly became a place people avoided and the store was often deserted.

In 2010, the company admitted defeat on the concept and after a 2-day liquidation, the store reverted back to Kmart. Most of the Sears fixtures were left in place but the store did receive a very seldom seen and short-lived Kmart interior package with red and white department signage featuring pictures of people.

Update (August, 2017): Sears announced that this store will close by the end of 2017.

Weekend trip at Kensington Jeju Hotel,South Jeju Island Seogwipo,Jungmun.....South Korea early spring 2016.

Since we went early spring,it still looks barren and the weather still not so great..