Inspired by the fabulous architecture of Antonio Gaudi, the turn of the century architect who gave Barcelona some of the most fabulous buildings on earth.
Gaudi Jazz
Gary Kirkpatrick
Photos from the National Archaeological Museum in Athens
The National Archaeological Museum in Athens is one of the world’s finest of its type and competes with the best of any type. The collection is stupendous and the display and organization are top notch. Here are some of the photos we took during our visit.
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British Cemetery in Valencia
The British Cemetery in Valencia. Net proceeds go to its maintenance.
The Acropolis
Oct 7, 2019
We boarded the train for Athens in Thessaloniki a week ago for the 4 hour journey, waving to the gods as we passed Mount Olympus, ducking a lighting bolt chucked our way. These gods dislike non-believers, apparently.
The dry land between us and the gods supports cotton fields and olive groves. White stucco houses populate the small villages sitting in the bright sun under cerulean blue skies.
From Athens surprisingly small central train station we took a taxi to our apartment, from whence it is a short walk to a lovely view of the Acropolis, with the Olympic stadium at our feet and at its original site. Here terminated the run from a town called Marathon when, in 490 BCE, a vastly outnumbered Athenian army defeated the Persians.
The next day we walked the 2 kilometers to the Acropolis – acro meaning high point, polis meaning city. The temples there evoke both vast appreciation for the skills of the ancient Greeks and a sadness for all that has been lost, much of it in fairly recent times with the explosion of stockpiled weapons and the removal if not theft of sculptures and more by the British, whose impressive collection resides in the British Museum.
The Parthenon is the largest of the structures atop the outcropping. It dates to 447 BC when Athens was at its zenith. The temple is a superb example of Doric style that I speculate came from the invading Doric tribe who settled in a place called Sparta. The temple gave home to a 13 meter, 40 foot wooden sculpture of Athena, clad with precious metals and accompanied by her snake and shield. The goddess who gave her name to this city is no longer is with us, so I was spared the lightning bolt. Per the video we know what she looked like and how she was adorned, an altogether impressive sight to greet those who climbed the steep hill to pay their respects.
The sculptures and friezes that adorned the temples were legion. There were 92 elements to the frieze atop the Parthenon alone. An impressive number survive to this day. Here a few examples:
My pen and ink sketch of one of the statues in the Acropoli Museum. I was particularly impressed with the flowing robes.
My favorite temple is this small one, for the caryatids that support the roof. Another fabulous view beyond.
The originals are in the museum:
The reconstruction of the Parthenon continues, as well documented in the films shown in the Museum, located near the base of the outcropping upon which the temples rest. In the films workers chisel on marble, showing also the templates they use to match the ancient designs. The old stone has a yellow tinge compared to the bright white of the new so you can see what changes have been made.
Modern cranes effortlessly lift the repaired columns with their older bits now joined with new stone. There is a model of an ancient crane, hand cranked yet capable of raising the original columns as well.
Perhaps the most gorgeous piece in the museum is the floral decor that was on the pediment of the Parthenon:
Below the temples is the Odeon Theater, still in use. It is next to the Theater of Dionysus. The black bags in the photo contain seat cushions wrapped for protection from the elements. The acoustics are excellent. I could hear Peg despite the noise of the crowd as I sat about half way up. We wonder if the sound was even better in the days of Euripides and Sophocles when it was at its peak of completion. Great views abound.
The Parthenon at Dusk
At the Bakery
There is an excellent bakery just around the corner from our place in Valencia. A friendly young woman frequently serves us. So I got the idea of putting her into a scene like Monet’s Bar at the Folies scene. This is what I have done here. I consider this a study for a larger piece.
Churches of Thessaloniki: Panagia Archiropiitos
September 2019
Panagia (Mary) Archiropiitos might be named after a icon of Panagia Hodegetria said to have miraculously appeared. Archiropiitos means ‘not made by hands.’ The church dates from the 5th century. It is a basilica, meaning it has a center aisle flanked by a side aisle on each side (some basilicas have two side aisles on each side). The current entrance has three arches. The ionian capitals are exquisite as are the green marbles. Fire damaged frescoes depict the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste.
Photos by Peg:
Avove: mosaics in the arches between the church’s 24 columns
Churches of Thessaloniki: Agia Sofia
The Agia Sophia dates from the 8th century and is modeled after the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (4th century), also still standing. Photos by Peg.
The Ascension is shown in the dome.
The church was converted into a mosque after the city’s absorption into the Ottoman Empire in 1440. Here you can see the remains of the minaret. You can see the arch in the Islamic style versus the Roman style which is rounded.
Thessaloniki, co-capitol of Greece, 315 BCE
October 2, 2019
Thessaloniki is the capitol of the Macedonian region of Greece (not the country called North Macedonia), the second-largest city in Greece. In Greek it is referred to as the co-capitol of the country, a position it also occupied in the Byzantine Empire alongside Constantinople. Founded in 315 BCE, it was named after the half sister of Alexander the Great. It was once home to a large Jewish community, some of whom came when expelled from Spain. It was devastated by the Nazis. Of the 49,000 shipped to death camps, only 2000 returned.
Also of historical import: the Apostle Paul preached in the Upper City and developed contacts that led to his letters to the Thessalonians that constitute two of the Bible’s 27 books. The city was part of the Ottoman Empire until 1912, almost 100 years after the Greeks successfully fought to escape Ottoman control.
There are many Byzantine and Paleochristian monuments, Roman and ancient Greek agora just two minutes from our place, the churches Hagia Sophia of Thessaloniki, Acheiropoietos, Panagia Chalkeon, all UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures. You can see the fine equestrian statues of Alexander the Great and Constantine. The Archaeological and Byzantine Culture Museums are major attractions. The latter is a purpose designed building that flows smoothly between exhibits. There are paintings dating from the 1500-1600’s whose vivid colors jump off the wall. The bright red lips, as if lipstick were applied, attracted my attention immediately. It was not just one painting but many with this characteristic. I finally found a way to get my new mobile phone to get a good image in the dim lighting, which I then brought out further with GNU photo editor, which I use for all of the editing I do. The red on the lips was even more pronounced than what I have been able to produce.
The Archaeological Museum has many of the fine examples I have seen of pottery, gold, silver and paintings.
The White Tower, a symbol of the city, has 6 floors with a gallery dissecting the city’s long history in each one. It also affords great views of the huge bay and the city’s hills. The Thessaloniki Concert Hall is home to the opera. There are two symphony orchestras. There is an annual International Film Festival. The city reportedly has the highest concentration of cafes and bars in Europe. Judging by my experience so far, this is not an exaggeration. Coffee shops, bakeries, gyros (kebab) places, traditional Greek as well as a wide variety of other restaurants all abound. People walk about eating or sit outside in the mild and pleasant late September weather. The waterfront has 12 thematic gardens and parks.
Viking in Dokkum 2
This is my second rendition of our boat in front of one of the two old windmills in the tiny town of Dokkum in Friesland, the northeast province of the Netherlands.
