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Two young women deliver a mesmerizing version of Svanetian Round Dance – Prairie Voices in the cozy Oasis Club in Udabno. While others are still dining or listening quietly, their voices rise in raw, trance-like harmony — echoing the ancient mountain songs of Svaneti. A gentle ukulele adds a soft rhythmic layer beneath the polyphonic vocals, blending tradition with a modern, personal touch. It’s an intimate and unexpected moment of living folklore in the vast Georgian steppe. The Svan people are an ethnic subgroup of Georgians, originating from the mountainous region of Svaneti in the northwest of the country. They speak their own language, Svan, which is related to Georgian but mutually unintelligible. Svans are known for their strong cultural identity and deep sense of community. Oasis Club is a vibrant mix of restaurant and hostel, located in the heart of Georgia’s semi-desert. The restaurant serves a unique blend of Georgian and European dishes, all prepared by local cooks from Udabno. On weekends, the venue often hosts live music by regional artists. One of the highlights of Oasis Club is the evening campfire — the perfect way to relax under the stars after a day of exploring.
Two young women perform a haunting version of a traditional Svanetian round dance at Oasis Club in Udabno. Their raw, trance-like vocals fill the space as guests quietly dine. A powerful moment of living Georgian folklore in the desert. The atmosphere is homely, but the singing draws the attention with hypnotic repetition and raw energy. Despite the small setting and the soft string sound, an almost trance-like layering is created – typical of Svanetic polyphony. The girls combine old Caucasian singing with modern, personal interpretation, which gives an authentic and contemporary feel. In the middle of a remote desert steppe village, the echo of an ancient mountain culture resounds – living, breathing, and shared with everyone who happens to be sitting at the table.
Twee jonge vrouwen brengen een betoverende versie van Svanetian Round Dance – Prairie Voices in de knusse Oasis Club van Udabno. Terwijl anderen nog zitten te eten of stil luisteren, stijgen hun stemmen op in rauwe, tranceachtige harmonie — een echo van de eeuwenoude bergzang uit Svanetië. Een zachte ukulele voegt een subtiele ritmische laag toe onder de gelaagde zang, en versmelt zo traditie met een persoonlijke, moderne interpretatie. Een intiem en onverwacht moment van levende folklore, midden in de uitgestrekte Georgische steppe. De sfeer is huiselijk, maar de zang trekt de aandacht met hypnotiserende herhaling en rauwe energie. Ondanks de kleine setting en het zachte snaargeluid ontstaat een bijna tranceachtige gelaagdheid – typisch voor Svanetische polyfonie. De meisjes brengen oude Kaukasische zang samen met moderne, persoonlijke interpretatie, wat een authentiek én eigentijds gevoel geeft. Midden in een afgelegen woestijnsteppe-dorp klinkt zo de echo van een eeuwenoude bergcultuur – levend, ademend, en gedeeld met iedereen die toevallig aan tafel zit. Svanetiërs zijn een etnische subgroep van de Georgiërs, afkomstig uit de bergachtige regio Svanetië in het noordwesten van het land. Ze spreken hun eigen taal, Svan, die verwant is aan het Georgisch maar onderling niet verstaanbaar is. Ze staan bekend om hun sterke culturele identiteit en hechte gemeenschapsgevoel. Oasis Club is een levendige combinatie van restaurant en hostel, gelegen in het hart van de Georgische semi-woestijn. Het restaurant biedt een unieke mix van Georgische en Europese gerechten, bereid door lokale koks uit Udabno. In het weekend zijn er regelmatig concerten van lokale muzikanten. Eén van de hoogtepunten van Oasis Club was het gezellige kampvuur 's avonds – perfect om te ontspannen onder de sterrenhemel na een dag vol ontdekkingen.
With some autumn colors on this first day of fall.
I was surprised to see the heart shape of her back.
I've been very busy the past two weeks, but I missed playing with textures. And since today I received my new Sigma 24-70 2.8, I had to try it out...
I must confess I love doing still life, because you can go crazy with the textures, the possibilities are limitless.
Textures by Kim Klassen, Lenabem and Clive Sax
Just for comparison and also because I think they look nice together. Most of the time they'll run as a lashup.
Three pairs of things in alignment. Two were composed, the third was chance. Rolling pastures south of Yamhill, Oregon.
The midle one of the Gothia Towers. The Taxi in the midle is slightly Photoshopped. I could not resist! ;)
My latest experiment is redscaling Fujicolor C200, which I then rated at ASA/ISO 12. "Overexposing" by four stops really tones down the reds, which is what I was trying to do; I prefer these yellows and browns. Rating at 12 also meant I was able to shoot on really sunny days between f/1.4 and f/2.8 to get some shallow depth of field.
Pentax ME Super
SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.4
Fujicolor C200 redscaled and shot at ASA/ISO 12
Home Developed in Unicolor/Argentix
Scanned with Pakon F135
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Not the easiest subjects to photograph because of the wire mesh and the floor covering of the cage that they was in, Seen in Hulls East Park,
España - Ciudad Real - Viso del Marqués - Palacio del Marqués de Santa Cruz
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ENGLISH:
It was built at the end of the 16th century by Álvaro de Bazán, first Marquis of Santa Cruz. It is currently the headquarters of the General Archive of the Navy.
It is one of the two palaces built by this sailor, knight of the Order of Santiago, captain of the Ocean Sea and admiral of the Spanish Navy. It is located next to the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, and since 1948 it has been rented by its owners, the Marquises of Santa Cruz, to the Spanish Navy, who first used it as a Museum of the Spanish Navy and later expanded its functions by also establishing the General Archive of the Navy.
The building was frequented by the first marquis thanks to its location, halfway between Madrid, where the Court was, and Seville, whose port he often went to as the Spanish Navy was anchored there, of which he was admiral during the reign of Philip II.
The palace was nearly destroyed by the Austrian troops of Edward Hamilton during the War of the Spanish Succession at the beginning of the 18th century, but was saved by the actions of the Marquis's chaplain, the poet Carlos de Praves, thanks to whom we can admire it today. It suffered some damage due to the Lisbon earthquake in 1755, which collapsed the ceiling of the hall of honour, where the great fresco depicting the Battle of Lepanto had been painted, and toppled the four corner towers, which the chronicles of Philip II described as magnificent.
In it we can find maritime objects from the period. A figurehead belonging to a ship commanded by the Marquis is noteworthy. During the War of Independence, the French razed it, and by the time the Civil War came it had served as a granary, school, stable, prison and hospital, until in 1948 and at the request of Julio Guillén Tato, director of the Naval Museum, Mrs. Casilda de Silva Fdez. de Henestrosa, descendant of Álvaro de Bazán, rented it to the Navy for 90 years as a museum-archive, which is its current function. Also, in the adjoining parish church there is a 4m long stuffed crocodile attached to one of the vaults, which was offered by the Marquis as a votive offering upon his return from one of his voyages.
Between March and April 1823, King Ferdinand VII spent the night there, after leaving Madrid for Seville, before the entry of the French contingent called the Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis, about whose stay Ferdinand VII did not write a word in his travel diary. The palace was declared a National Monument in 1931 and was restored from 1948 by the Navy under the direction of Admiral Guillén.
The palace was built between 1564 and 1586 with subsequent modifications. It is a square-shaped building in the Renaissance style, built around a Renaissance atrium with a recumbent tomb. The walls and ceilings are covered with frescoes with two themes: mythological scenes on the one hand and naval battles and Italian cities related to the military career of the Marquis and his family on the other. The frescoes are by Italian Mannerist painters, the Péroli family. Upon seeing them, Philip II commissioned them to do work for El Escorial and the Alcázar of Toledo.
For its construction, the Marquis hired a team of architects, painters and decorators who worked on the building from 1564 to 1586. For some, the design of the building was due to the Italian Giovanni Battista Castello, known as the Bergamasco, who later worked in El Escorial; for others, it was designed, at least in its original plan, by Enrique Egas el Mozo.
The architecture is perceived as typically Spanish, without Italian arches, with smooth walls and square towers at the corners, influenced by the austerity of El Escorial and the Alcázar of Toledo, within the harmonious relationships characteristic of the Renaissance. The central space is occupied by a porticoed courtyard that, together with the staircase, forms a typically mannerist ensemble understood as an elegant and courtly style that goes beyond the merely architectural framework.
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ESPAÑOL:
Fue construido a finales del siglo XVI por Álvaro de Bazán, primer marqués de Santa Cruz. Actualmente es la sede del Archivo General de la Marina.
Se trata de uno de los dos palacios construidos este marino, caballero de la Orden de Santiago, capitán del Mar Océano y almirante de la Marina española. Está situado al lado de la iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, y desde el año 1948 es alquilado por parte de sus propietarios, los marqueses de Santa Cruz, a la Armada Española, quien primero lo destinó a Museo de la Marina Española y más tarde amplió sus funciones estableciendo también el Archivo General de la Marina.
El edificio era frecuentado por el primer marqués gracias a su ubicación, a medio camino entre Madrid, donde estaba la Corte, y Sevilla, a cuyo puerto acudía a menudo al mantener allí anclada la Armada Española, de la cual fue almirante durante el reinado de Felipe II.
El palacio estuvo a punto de ser destruido por las tropas austracistas de Edward Hamilton durante la Guerra de Sucesión Española a principios del siglo XVIII, salvándose por la actuación del capellán del marqués, el poeta Carlos de Praves, gracias a lo cual hoy podemos admirarlo. Sufrió algunos daños a causa del terremoto de Lisboa en 1755: el cual hundió el techo del salón de honor, donde se había pintado el gran fresco que representaba la batalla de Lepanto, y desmochó las cuatro torres de las esquinas, que las crónicas de Felipe II describían como magníficas.
En él podemos encontrar objetos marineros de la época. Llama la atención un mascarón de proa perteneciente a una nave que dirigió el marqués. Durante la Guerra de la Independencia, los franceses lo arrasaron, y para cuando llegó la Guerra Civil había servido de granero, colegio, establo, cárcel y hospital, hasta que en 1948 y a instancias de Julio Guillén Tato, director del Museo Naval, doña Casilda de Silva Fdez. de Henestrosa, descendiente de Álvaro de Bazán se lo rentó a la Armada por 90 años como museo-archivo, que es en la actualidad su función. Asimismo, en la iglesia parroquial aledaña hay un cocodrilo disecado de 4m de largo adosado a una de las bóvedas, que fue ofrecido por el marqués como exvoto al regreso de uno de sus viajes.
Entre marzo y abril de 1823, el rey Fernando VII pernoctó allí, tras abandonar Madrid rumbo a Sevilla, ante la entrada del contingente francés llamado los Cien Mil Hijos de San Luis, de cuya estancia Fernando VII no escribió ni una palabra en su diario del viaje. El palacio fue declarado Monumento Nacional en 1931 siendo restaurado a partir de 1948 por la Armada bajo la dirección del Almirante Guillén.
El palacio fue construido entre 1564 y 1586 con modificaciones posteriores, y se trata de un edificio de planta cuadrada y estilo renacentista articulado en torno a un atrio renacentista con una tumba yacente. Los muros y techos se hallan cubiertos de frescos de doble temática: por un lado, escenas mitológicas y, por otro, batallas navales y ciudades italianas relacionadas con la trayectoria militar del marqués y de sus familiares. Los frescos se deben a unos pintores manieristas italianos, los Péroli. Al verlos, Felipe II les encargaría trabajos para El Escorial y el Alcázar de Toledo.
Para su construcción, el marqués contrató a un equipo de arquitectos, pintores y decoradores que trabajaron en la obra desde 1564 hasta 1586. Para algunos, el diseño del edificio se debió al italiano Giovanni Battista Castello, conocido como el Bergamasco, que más tarde trabajó en El Escorial; para otros lo trazó, al menos en su plan original, Enrique Egas el Mozo.
La arquitectura se percibe como típica española, sin las arquerías italianas, con paramentos lisos y torres cuadradas en las esquinas, influidos por la austeridad de El Escorial y el Alcázar de Toledo, dentro de las relaciones armónicas características del Renacimiento. El espacio central está ocupado por un patio porticado que junto con la escalera forma un conjunto típicamente manierista entendido como estilo elegante y cortesano que desborda el marco meramente arquitectónico.
Lesley and I had arranged to meet and have some photos and then go for lunch. Unfortunately Lesley had to call of from lunch due to family commitments ( more about lunch later). So we made the most of our short time together with as many photos as we could manage.
I have been invited by The Huffington Post to post my images regularly to their photography blog. This is my third post: Rust and Roll on Route 66
Nigran, Galicia, Spain
CONVERSACIONES EN SILENCIO-TALKING IN SILENCE
SERIES
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