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We arrived at the Flinders Ranges and spent the afternoon just exploring this astonishing landscape. As the day rolled on the clouds rolled in and my hopes for a sunset faded away. Hour by hour and then eventually minute by minute.
What I was hoping for, what I had wanted was an opportunity to photograph that quintessential Australian windmill. It was a shot that had starred a leading role in my bucket list of photos for a long time.
As my hopes for a good sunset were rapidly disappearing I was becoming increasingly impressed with the opportunities I was seeing - WINDMILLS!
The day was over and the sky was cloudy, dull and boring and my expectations were at an all time low. I drove back to a windmill i'd found just down the road from our accommodation and waited patiently.
Then - with sunset approaching fast my fortunes quickly changed and the inconceivable became the extraordinary.
In front of me me was everything i'd hoped for.
Press "L" to view this large on black and, as always, thanks for looking!
Ashford Castle on the bank of Lough Corrib, where we had our afternoon tea, County Galway, Ireland
Some background information:
Ashford Castle is a large medieval and Victorian castle that has been expanded over the centuries and turned into a five star luxury hotel. It is located near the village of Cong on the County Galway side of Lough Corrib, directly bordering the County Mayo side of the lake. Today, Ashford Castle, which was previously owned by the Guinness family, is a member of the Red Carnation Hotels organisation.
We just had an afternoon tea in the castle’s Connaught Room. The afternoon tea offers guests a wide selection of speciality teas, delicate finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones and delectable pastries, presented on a silver three-tier stand,. whereby every guest is served their own three-tier stand. On the lowest tier, there are the sandwiches. On the middle tier, guests will find three different scones, served with two types of clotted cream. And on the top tier, the elegantly presented pâtisserie is displayed.
I had an Irish Whiskey Cream Tea accompaning the delicacies and if you don’t manage to eat all of them, the leftovers are packed for you in a neat box, so that you can take them home. We had our afternoon tea at a table next to one of the windows, with view into the gardens and onto Lough Corrib. By the way, if you want to take your afternoon tea there, you have to order it in advance. Just dropping by would be pointless and you wouldn’t even be able to pass the gatekeepers of the estate.
In 1228, Ashford Castle was built on the perimeter of a monastic site by the Anglo-Norman noble House de Burgo. After having been more than three-and-a-half centuries in possession of the Burke family, the castle passed into the hands of Sir Richard Bingham, Lord President of Connaught, in 1589. A battle between the forces of the de Burgo family and those of Bingham had been preceded the change of the owner. Following the battle and thereby also the owner change, Bingham added a fortified enclave within Ashford Castle‘s precincts.
In 1670, Dominick Browne, Baron Oranmore and Browne, received the estate in a royal grant. In 1715, the estate of Ashford was established by the Browne family and a hunting lodge in the style of a 17th-century French chateau was constructed. In the late 18th century, a branch of the family inhabited the castle.
In 1852, the Irish brewer and philanthropist Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, who later received the title 1st Baronet of Ashford, purchased the estate. He added two large Victorian style extensions, extended the estate to 110 square kilometres (26,000 acres), built new roads and planted thousands of trees. After Sir Benjamin's death in 1868, the estate passed to his son Arthur Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun, who expanded the building further in the neogothic style.
Arthur Guinness was an avid gardener who oversaw the development of massive woodlands and rebuilt the entire west wing of the castle, designed by architects James Franklin Fuller and George Ashlin. The new construction connected the early 18th-century part in the east with two de-Burgo-time towers in the west. Additionally, battlements were added to the whole castle. After being rebuilt, Ashford Castle welcomed many famous guests such as the British King George V, among others who stayed with the Guinness family.
After having been sold to Noel Huggard in 1939, the new owner opened the estate as a hotel. Since then, the hotel has hosted many famous guests, such as Queen Mary, the author Oscar Wilde, the actors Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne, UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Ronald Reagan, US Senator Ted Kennedy, Prince Rainier III of Monaco and his wife Princess Grace, Prince Edward, the Beatles members John Lennon and George Harrison, as well as the actors Robin Williams, Pierce Brosnan and Brad Pitt. Professional golfer Rory McIlroy even married there in 2017.
In July 2015, Ashford Castle was voted third best world hotel by "Travel + Leisure magazine", US. In August 2015, it was voted world's best hotel during "Virtuoso Travel Week". Furthermore, in 2020 and 2022, the hotel claimed top spot in the prestigious World’s Best Resort Hotel in the UK & Ireland awards. And in 2023, it has been hailed as one of the world's best hotels by "Forbes Travel Guide", from which it received the maximum rating of five stars – just like only a handful of other hotels.
Lough Corrib, on whose bank Ashford Castle is located, is a lake in the west of Ireland connected to the sea at Galway by the River Corrib. It is the largest lake within the Republic of Ireland and the second largest on the island of Ireland (after Lough Neagh). Lough Corrib covers 176 km² and lies mostly in County Galway with a small area of its northeast corner in County Mayo. The main tributaries draining into Lough Corrib include the Cornamona, Bealanabrack, Owenriff, Drimneen, Cong, Clare, Annacourta, Black and Cross rivers.
The lake is rather popular with anglers because it has a large fish population. Among the fishes in the lake are trouts, pikes, perches and salmons. Furthermore, the wildlife in Lough Corrib includes birds and hawks, otters, mink, stoat, frogs and bats. In 1996, Lough Corrib was designated a Ramsar site and it has also been designated a Special Area of Conservation.
The lake is also of international importance as a marine archaeological site. Surveys have uncovered a number of objects of historical significance, which have been investigated by the Underwater Archaeology Unit of the National Monuments Service. These include Bronze Age and Iron Age vessels as well as the "Carrowmoreknock Boat", a well preserved 10th century vessel carrying three Viking battle axes. There are also a lot of islands on the lake. Among them are Inchagoill with ist Early Christian abbey ruins, Inishquin, Inishmicatreer, Inishdoorus and Rabbit Island, to name just the largest ones.
Comes to it when all the nest boxes are full and some birds feeling a bit lazy about making a nest for themselves !! Here we see the result in every sense of the word " Overflow Accommodation " . This is a house in the area and the shots were over a six foot high brick wall , I did move position hence the change of angle with the brickwork . To me that looked a well tight fit getting in and out !!
I guess these blue tits had to choose a place of the most convenience !!
The autotrain passes an accommodation crossing on the Severn Valley Railway during the recent photo charter. A lovely rural setting to capture a typical service as seen on a number of former Great Western branches in the 1950s.
Bubble hotels in Wadi Rum offer a unique way to experience the beauty of the Jordanian desert. Guests stay in transparent dome-shaped rooms that provide panoramic views of the desert landscape and the starry night sky while enjoying modern comforts such as comfortable beds, private bathrooms, air conditioning, and heating.
Many bubble camps also offer traditional Bedouin meals and activities such as jeep tours, camel rides, hiking, and stargazing. Located in peaceful and remote areas, they allow visitors to enjoy the silence and natural beauty of the desert.
Although they are more expensive than traditional Bedouin camps, bubble hotels are popular with couples, photographers, and travelers looking for a comfortable and unforgettable desert experience. Their modern design and spectacular views make them one of the most unique accommodation options in Wadi Rum.
© Maxence Guillaume
Our accommodation for a couple of nights before we headed up to our usual stomping ground of Ubud. The Mayaloka is by far the best reasonably priced accommodation we have come across in Bali. Really love the combination of indoor/outdoor living that it offers, which is closer to the Bali lifestyle than most hotels in Bali.
We stayed at Mayaloka Seminyak Villas in October 2018.
This little chap had wondered into the accommodation block on the island and was taken out to ea on our return to be released well away from any predators...
a mattress on the floor, a mosquito net, this is a backpackers accommodation at Mindoro island, Philippines 1981
I took this photo in 1981 with my analogue Nikon FE camera and 35mm slide film, and later digitalised with a Nikon Coolscan film scanner.
© This photo is the property of Helga Bruchmann. Please do not use my photos for sharing, printing or for any other purpose without my written permission. Thank you!
"005" "Spire" "118 Pictures in 2018"
The newly constructed Beckley Point Building, now the tallest building in Plymouth, standing at a height of 256ft... The spire can be seen from the A38 Devon Expressway approaching Plymouth on the 3 lane carriageway section between Deep Lane and Marsh Mills
Constructed for its primary use as student accommodation, conveniently situated close to the Plymouth University & city centre...
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Location, location, location........
I must admit I wasn't expecting to find this tent opposite the street from the Langham Hotel whilst exploring this rather upmarket part of Marylebone....... to be fair though it does look like a smart new tent.
Some more 'alternative' London shots here : www.flickr.com/photos/darrellg/albums/72157647920607519
From Wikipedia : "Langham Place is a short street in Westminster, central London, England. Just north of Oxford Circus, it connects Portland Place to the north with Regent Street to the south in London's West End. It is, or was, the location of many significant public buildings, and gives its name to the Langham Place group, a circle of early women's rights activists.
There are several major buildings on Langham Place, including All Souls Church, Broadcasting House, and the Langham Hotel. Queen's Hall and St. George's Hall were also here until their destruction during World War II. The area is associated with the architect John Nash, although all but one of his original buildings have been replaced."
© D.Godliman
vacationrentalsexperts.pennistonemedia.com/category/bed-a...
Bed and breakfasts are becoming the more desirable holiday accommodation for those on a break.
Norwegen / Nordland - Helgelandskysten
Skarsfjorden seen from our accommodation in Forøy
Skarsfjorden gesehen von unserer Unterkunft in Forøy
Helgeland is the most southerly district in Northern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle. It is bordered in the north by the Saltfjellet mountains and Svartisen glacier, which form a natural border with the Salten district. In the south, Helgeland borders Trøndelag county.
The district covers an area of about 18,832 square kilometres (7,271 sq mi), with nearly 79,000 inhabitants. There are four towns in the district: from south to north these are Brønnøysund, Mosjøen, Sandnessjøen, and Mo i Rana.
Name
The Old Norse form of the name was Hálogaland (see Hålogaland).
Geography
Helgeland is commonly divided into three or four sections:
Southern Helgeland (actually southwest), which consists of the municipalities Bindal, Sømna, Brønnøy, Vega and Vevelstad.
Central Helgeland, which is sometimes further divided into the regions:
Inner Helgeland, which consists of the municipalities Grane, Hattfjelldal and Vefsn.
Outer Helgeland, which consists of the municipalities Leirfjord, Alstahaug, Herøy and Dønna.
Northern Helgeland, which consists of the municipalities Hemnes, Rana, Nesna, Lurøy, Træna and Rødøy.
Helgeland is characterized by pointed mountains and Strandflaten, a shallow lowland area, sometimes just above the sea surface, and sometimes just below the surface. People living on the coast have settled on this lowland (while inland towns, such as Mo and Mosjøen, are situated in valleys). A consequence of the Strandflaten is thousands of islands, and shallow waters going far into the sea. This has provided some shelter from stormy weather, which might occur in winter. Some islands are fairly large, often with unique mountains, such as Torghatten, De syv søstre (The Seven Sisters), Hestmannen, Rødøyløva (in Rødøy), Dønnamannen (picture), and Træna. There are several sea bird colonies, such as Lovund with thousands of puffins. The Solvær Islands (Solværøyene) in Lurøy consists of about 300 small and flat islands and has the highest densities of Eurasian eagle-owls in Europe.
The highest mountains, are located inland, where Oksskolten is the highest mountain in Northern Norway. There are many valleys inland, such as the Dunderland Valley, Vefsndalen, and Hattfjelldal. Røssvatnet is the second largest lake in Norway. There are three large national parks in Helgeland: Saltfjellet–Svartisen National Park (partly), Børgefjell National Park (partly), and Lomsdal–Visten National Park (created in May 2009).
Cultural references
Helgeland is the scene for Henrik Ibsen's 1857 historical play "The Vikings at Helgeland" (Hærmændene paa Helgeland), whose plot takes place at this region during the time of Erik Blood-axe (c. 930–934).
Helgeland Kammerkor, a mixed choir with members from all parts of Helgeland, have recorded an album of folk music from Helgeland (Folketoner fra Helgeland, 2005). The album contains 27 folk tunes from Helgeland, recorded in collaboration with folk musicians from the area. The album was recorded in Alstahaug Church, a 900-year-old stone church located near Sandnessjøen.
(Wikipedia)
Helgeland (im Mittelalter Hålogaland) ist eine Landschaft im Norden Norwegens, die heute den südlichen Teil des Fylkes Nordland bis zum Saltfjellet umfasst. Die Region hat 78.400 Einwohner und eine Fläche von 17.936 km². Die Region hat ungefähr 15.000 Inseln.
Im Mittelalter bezeichnete Hålogaland das gesamte Territorium nördlich von Trøndelag und war vor der Christianisierung Norwegens ein selbständiges Königreich, das auch den größten Teil von Troms umfasste und sich zeitweilig bis in das von Samen dominierte Gebiet (Finnmark, Schwedisch-Lappland, Nord-Finnland und Nordwest-Russland) erstreckte. Hålogaland nimmt einen hervorragenden Platz in den Sagas ein. Die Göttinnen Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr und Irpa der Jómsvíkinga saga stammen wahrscheinlich aus Hálogaland und wurden wohl vor allem dort verehrt. Der vermutlich bekannteste Einwohner Hålogalands war der Seefahrer und Kaufmann Ottar, dessen Bericht über seine Heimat einen Platz in Alfreds des Großen Übersetzung der Weltgeschichte des Orosius fand.
Der Name stammt nicht von derselben Wurzel wie heilig, wie es schon Adam von Bremen behauptete, sondern von einer Volksbezeichnung háleygir. In Snorri Sturlusons Jüngerer Edda wird er von einem mythischen König Holgi abgeleitet. Holgi wiederum soll ein Nachfolger von Odins Sohn Sæming (Säming) gewesen sein.
Die jüngere Form des Namens findet sich ab 1380, die ältere besteht weiter in den Namen der Bistümer Sør-Hålogaland (Nordland) und Nord-Hålogaland (Troms und Finnmark) und im Namen des Obergerichtes (Hålogaland lagmannsrett), das für die drei nördlichen Provinzen Nordland, Troms und Finnmark sowie für Spitzbergen zuständig ist.
In Helgeland befand sich bei Bratland und der Insel Aldra ein Sender des Omega-Funknavigationssystems. In der Nähe von Bratland befindet sich auch der Marinesender JXN, der wie einst der Omegasender eine Drahtantenne verwendet, die über einen Fjord gespannt wurde.
(Wikipedia)
This accommodation at Shad Thames in London, near Tower Bridge. These are the water side view of Java wharf and Jamaica wharf.
Mindoro, Philippines
I took this photo in 1981 with my analogue Nikon FE camera and 35mm slide film, and later digitalised y using a Nikon Coolscan film scanner.
© This photo is the property of Helga Bruchmann. Please do not use my photos for sharing, printing or for any other purpose without my written permission. Thank you!
Excellent Double Bay Hotel accommodation in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. The Savoy Hotel is in Knox Street, the heart of Double Bay Sydney. We are a small, tranquil oasis and the best value small hotel in Sydney.
Station Haarlem 23/06/2021 11h44
The Venice Simplon Orient Express is one of the most famous luxury trains in the world. The train connects a number of European cities, such as London, Paris, Venice and Istanbul. The original 1920 carriages have been carefully restored and transport you to another time with the comforts of today. An Art Deco decor, gastronomic indulgence, live entertainment, a unique experience. On June 22, 2021, this train came from Venice to Amsterdam to return to Venice on June 24, 2021. On June 23, there was a press moment in Haarlem where the train was at the platform for a few hours.
Venice-Simplon Orient Express
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) is a private luxury train service from London to Venice and other European cities. It is currently owned by Belmond, which operates 45 luxury hotels, restaurants, tourist trains and river cruises in 24 countries. It was agreed in December 2018 for the service to be acquired by LVMH in a transaction initially expected to close in the first half of 2019.
These VSOE services are not to be confused with a regularly scheduled train called the Orient Express, which ran nightly between Paris and Bucharest - in the last years of operation cut back to between Strasbourg and Vienna - until 11 December 2009. This latter was a normal EuroNight sleeper train and was the lineal descendant of the regular Orient Express daily departure from Paris to Vienna and the Balkans. While this descendant train was primarily used for every sort of passengers to Central and Eastern Europe, applying only the standard international train fares, the VSOE train is aimed at tourists looking to take a luxury train ride. Fares on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express are high as the service is intended not as an ordinary rail service, but as a leisure event with five-star dining included.
The train was established in 1982 by James Sherwood of Kentucky, USA. In 1977 he had bought two original carriages at an auction when the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits withdrew from the Orient Express service, passing the service on to the national railways of France, Germany, and Austria. Over the next few years, Sherwood spent a total of US$16 million purchasing 35 sleeper, restaurant and Pullman carriages. On 25 May 1982, the first London–Venice run was made.
The VSOE has separate restored carriages for use in the UK and for mainland Europe, but all of the same vintage (mostly dating from the 1920s and 1930s). Passengers are conveyed across the English Channel by coach on the Eurotunnel shuttle through the Channel Tunnel. In the UK Pullman carriages are used; in continental Europe sleeping cars and dining cars of the former Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits are used. Sleeper carriages have a range of accommodation available including Grand Suites, Cabin Suites, Twin Cabins and Single cabins.
VSOE runs services between March and November. The classical London - Paris - Milan - Venice (and return) route via the Simplon Tunnel was altered in 1984 to serve Zürich, Innsbruck and Verona through the Brenner Pass. This journey is offered once or twice a week, depending on other trips. Two or three times a year Prague or Vienna and Budapest are also accessed, starting from Venice, and returning to Paris and London. Every September the train also travels from London and Paris to Istanbul via Budapest, Sinaia and Bucharest - in the last three cities a sightseeing tour (and in the two capitals an overnight stay in a hotel) also takes place - the return trip on the same route ends in Venice.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express at Dresden station
While the above mentioned routes are available most years, some seasons have also included unique destinations, among them Cologne, Rome, Florence, Lucerne, the High Tatras, Cracow, Dresden, Copenhagen and Stockholm. Such a journey is currently provided to Berlin.
[ Wikipedia - VSOE ]
Back to microscale : I just thought my Micropolis needed a university campus.
This is the Student accommodation. More buildings to come in the next few weeks (hopefully)
In: KAPPELMAYR, Barbara (Red.) (1995). Geïllustreerd handboek van de kunst. VG Bild-Kunst/De Hoeve, Alphen aan de Rijn. ISBN 90 6113 763 2
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Pp. 874ff in: QUADRALECTIC ARCHITECTURE – A Panoramic Review by Marten Kuilman. Falcon Press (2011). ISBN 978-90-814420-0-8
quadralectics.wordpress.com/4-representation/4-2-function...
‘Real’ palaces were designed and constructed in Spain at about the same time as Palladio provided the Valmarana family with shelter in Italy. The Royal Palace of the Escorial is located some forty-five kilometers northwest of Madrid (Spain) at the rim of the Guadarrama Mountains. It appears as a great stone platform carved from the mountain and its harmonizing with the landscape makes it a stone scape. It has reminiscence, according to George KUBLER (1982, p. 98), to certain Quattrocento paintings of ideal cities drawn with a single-point perspective in Renaissance Italy. He gives the panel painting ‘A City Square’, attributed to Luciano de Laurana, in the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, as an example.
The history of the Escorial has four distinct elements, which were planned by King Philip II (1527 – 1598) after he became King of Spain in 1556: 1. The initial purpose as a place to house the tombs of the dynasty, in particular his father Charles V, who was buried in Yuste; 2. The foundation of a monastery (with hospital buildings); 3. A basilica (with a dome); 4. A palace (with a library). These four intentions, which were brought forward more or less simultaneously, have aspects of higher division thinking, but the psychological setting of the King is hard to prove.
Spain was in the second half of the sixteenth century on the heights of its political power, covering the larger part of Europe when Philip II was King of Spain and Portugal, King of Naples, Duke of Milan, Ruler of the Spanish Netherlands, and King consort of England (as the husband of Mary I). It was furthermore, a global player in the colonial expansions across the Atlantic.
King Philip II began his search for a foundation of a new monastery in 1558 – 1559. He called it San Lorenzo de la Victoria – referring to the victory in the battle of San Quintin (in northern France) on 10 August 1557, on the day of San Lorenzo. The King employed the help of the Jeronymite Order, but their suggestions and plan, where about half the size than the cuadro (block), which was laid out in April 1562 in a location near El Escorial. The plan of the monastery, which was first to be started, had a classical tetradic design.
George KUBLER (1982) mentioned three Jeronymite friars, who played a major role in the history of the construction of the Scoria. Juan de San Jeronimo was present from 1562 to 1591 as the chief accountant and most authoritative as a chronicler. Antonio de Villacastin was the Obrero mayor (chief workman) and Jose de Sigüenza wrote a history of the building by recording the progress of design and construction.
The official work started in 1563 with the intention of Philip II to bring the body of his father Charles V, the Emperor, who died in 1558, from Yuste to the new location. Philip had an interest in building matters, which only increased after his European tour at his father’s command (1548 – 1551). The King visited England for the marriage to Queen Mary (1516 – 1558, also known as Bloody Mary, because she had three hundred religious dissenters burned at the stake) in July 1554. He was accompanied at that (political-inspired) trip by the architect and engineer Gaspar de Vega, who had to study foreign buildings and constructions, which could be useful in Spain. Vega returned overland and visited places like the Louvre, St.Germain-en-Laye and Fontainebleau.
The three main architects of the Escorial were Francisco de Villalpando, Juan Bautista de Toledo, and Juan de Herrera. The first named architect was originally a bronze worker, who translated Serlio. He was titled as a ‘geometer and architect’, which was the first official use of this term by a Spanish royal patron. His qualities as a humanist and theorist gained him (royal) recognition in the liberal art of architecture (KUBLER, 1982).
The second, Juan Bautista de Toledo, was appointed as an architect in 1559. He had been Michelangelo’s assistant at St. Peter from 1546 to 1548. His promotion turned into a personal tragedy when his wife and two daughters and all his books and papers were lost when the ship sank, which had to bring them from Naples to Spain. His appointment – after this event and as an outsider – was marred with conflicts and crises, but the King backed him until he died on 21 May 1567.
The third, Juan de Herrera, was an assistant of Toledo, appointed by the King in 1563 to check on the unpredictable authority of Toledo. He was appointed in 1576 as a royal architect – after years working in the background, with close ties to the King as Master of the Horse (1569 – 1577) and later (1579) as a court chamberlain.
The inactive year of Toledo’s death (1567) was followed two years later by an increase in activities. Flemish slaters expanded their trade after the work on the King's temporary dwelling La Fresneda was finished. The main staircase, which was the showpiece of the monastery, the roofing of the kitchen wing, and the paving made good progress. The cloister was finished in 1579 when the parapets were placed. The basilica started in 1574 and was finished in 1586.
The building of the fountain began in 1586, following the symbolism of the Garden of Eden, with four rivers watering Asia, Africa, Europe and America. The design had similarities with the Fons Vitae, also with four basins, at the Manga cloister of Santa Cruz in Coimbra (Portugal), built in 1533 – 1534.
The work on the actual royal dwelling (King’s House) in the northeast quadrant had begun in 1570 – 1572. It took nearly fifteen years until the court moved from their provisional quarters to the new accommodation in August 1585, but most of the palace and the college had still to be finished.
The library portico, which was part of Toledo’s ‘’universal plan’, only started when the construction of the palace, basilica, and college had ceased and was finished in 1583. The hospital buildings (infirmary) were situated outside the main cuadro (of 1562) at the southwestern corner. Farm buildings, later known as La Compana, were also outside the monastery. The northern service buildings (casas de oficios) were mentioned in 1581. Fig. 727 shows the Escorial in a reconstruction of the situation in 1568.
The history of the Escorial came into a new phase after Philip died in September 1598. The complex was complete except for its initial purpose: the underground burial chamber intended for the tombs of the dynasty. The circular plan of Panteón, initiated under Herrera’s direction, had four stairs and a light shaft. However, little work was done until 1617 – 1635 when G.B. Crescenzi altered the plan from circular to octagonal. After he died in 1635 the work was completed in 1654 by Fray Nicolas de Madrid (following Crescenzi’s plan). The crypt was described by Fray Francisco de los Santos as the Panteon. His book included all the rituals of transferring the royal bodies since 1586.
Several fires caused damage to the complex in later years. The first one happened in 1577 at the southwest tower. A most destructive fire took place on the 7th of June 1671, in which also the monastery roofs burst into flames. Many manuscripts were destroyed. Some sixty years later, in 1731, the fire started again at a chimney in the college. The Compana was destroyed in 1744, and the last great fires took place in 1763 and 1825.
A plague of termites threatened the building in 1953. This event sparked a restoration program instigated by the government. The crossing towers in the monastery and college were rebuilt in 1963. Their spires were re-designed by Bartolomé Zúmbigo in 1673 in a Baroque fashion but changed again to the original layout of Herrera as given in the last quarter of the sixteenth century. The result was an example of the use of two of the major elements of a quadralectic architecture: the octagonal roof fitted onto the square of the tower.
Characterization of the Escorial complex by art historians (like Nikolaus Pevsner) pointed to a classification as a ‘mannerist’ building. Mannerism is the term (from maniera) used for imitation and exaggeration of the work of the High Renaissance. Its severity and simplicity were associated in the first half of the twentieth century (mainly by German art historians) with puritanism and asceticism, like the character of Philip II himself. This perception was later challenged and even denied: ‘If psychic states and architectural forms were this closely related in the process of design, then architecture as a whole would long ago have been recognized as a dictionary of psychic attitudes’ (KUBLER, 1982; p. 126).
The plan of the Escorial near Madrid follows tetradic lines with a four-division in function (palace, college, monastery, and place of contemplation) organized around a church with a square ground plan.
Some observers pointed to Post-Reformation geomancy as initiating the design. Nigel PENNICK (1979) stated that ‘the Escorial at Madrid was built according to a Jesuit interpretation of the Vision of Ezekiel’. Others go further back and tried to find Renaissance ideas of magic underlying the design of the Escorial (TAYLOR, 1967). René Taylor wondered whether the courtier and ‘architect’ Herrera could not be ‘a Magus, a man deeply versed in Hermetism and occult lore, who by virtue of this was attached in a special way to the King?’
George Kubler (pp. 128 – 130) denied the view that the King and Herrera had occult views. He could prove that the King did not sympathize with astrology and horoscopes. The court’s association with the mystic Ramon Lull (1232 – 1316) – the ‘Doctor illuminatus’ with his combinatorial method for categorizing all possible knowledge (see p. 780), but also with his intention to convert Muslims to Christianity – was purely academically, according to Kubler. It is regrettable that none of these authors make any reference to a particular type of division thinking, which might elucidate such labels like Mannerism, Puritanism, astrology, magic, etc.
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Bibliography
KUBLER, George (1982). Building the Escorial. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. ISBN 0-691-03975-5
PENNICK, Nigel (1979). The Ancient Science of Geomancy. Man in harmony with the earth. Thames and Hudson Ltd., London.
TAYLOR, René (1967). Architecture and Magic. Considerations on the Idea of the Escorial. Pp. 81 – 109 in: Essays in the History of Archtecture Presented to Rudolf Wittkower. New York.
Seen here passing the Renfrew Ferry, far away from its usual Riga - Stockholm route, Tallink Romantika will be used for accommodation during the COP26 summit.
Details of the rock art station 'Vente Bourbon 3' found by D. Caldwell around 2014 (published 2015) - one of many important new and pristine stations found in the forest of Fontainebleau.
From the remains of the homo erectus Terra Amata abris/tent in Nice up into the medieval ages: proto abris-tent to frame tent - portable hut. Covered in raw hide, greased leather or woven material, a tent can be packed away and re-positioned at speed and without the unknowns that come with the need to look for thatch.
Both post 'transport dragon' and aside, the tent that is today referred to as a Canadian tent (triangular with poles) is in truth from a wide geographical range. Simple triangular tents with either vertical poles, possibly with a ridgepole or even side frames, were regularly documented from early medieval finds and manuscripts. Nordic and Viking finds offer further details and the simple form will have ornamented through into prehistory.
Square box tents and tents with central poles simply add to the range of imaginative solutions each with a pro and a con.
Whilst there is little in the schematic rock art lines to strongly suggest tents, the interpretation of the adjacent schematic stage (see below) seems to be, in my mind, solid. A stage suggests other activities of rite or festivity, and one by one interpretations for other glyphs are suggested (see asociated posts below). Festivities were often on rises or fields aside villages. Temporary tent villages for persons following flocks or logging, or temporary festive sites drawn towards lyrical and 'meaningful' monoliths, or clandestine celebrations behind the backs of authoritarian clergy - these are all potential narratives.
The small scale of the 'glyphs' might suggest a date where the influence of writing and runes is apparent, which may suggest a date between the iron age and the early medieval. Late neolithic, chalcolithic and bronze age dates cannot be excluded, but weathering rates on the fine sandstone edges needs to be found. To respect a wide calibration, I have tried to draw the tents in a way that might evoke both leather or woven material.
There are some words that say everything and nothing: 'it', 'truc', 'thing'... An equivalent in rock art would be a mark that signifies something, with the context assigning the final definition. In the context of a stage and a tent, a 'dot' may be a person, in the context of a boundary line with an image of oxen pulling a plough, the same dot may be a 'seed'. Today people do not like to be refereed to as an 'it', or worse still, a 'thing' - but t can happen.
If dots are people in tents, then there is one tent that has a dot with a tail. The same 'tent' also has lines or 'streamers' attached. If the general scene is a proto or historical schematic visualisation of a festival (May day or Solstice) then there should be a tent that holds the 'May Queen' or other persons of significance. Going to see the 'May Queen' may be the line to the 'dot' and the lines of decoration may be either from the tent down to the ground, or as decorative lines of significance and ornamentation on the ground surface itself. This tent may also be aside a path into the site (see the two lines to the right of the said triangle), and an alternative explanation might be that people are verified at this tent before entering the festivities - and here the lines may even be projected queues of people.
AJM 04.02.20