Kilmacduagh Monastery, Galway, Ireland
Kilmacduagh (traslation “Church of Duagh’s son”) Monastery, near Gort in County Galway, Ireland. Founded in the early 7th century by Saint Colmán, son of Duagh. The above aerial views enable you to see the grave sites in St Colmán’s Cathedral as well as the adjacent Round Tower (32.5 m, 112 ft), the tallest pre-modern building in Ireland. Please click on an image to open larger version.
Hjo Harbor Lighthouse, Sweden
Long exposure shot of one of my favorite photo targets, Hjo Harbor Lighthouse on Sweden’s second largest lake, Lake Vättern. Click on photo to enlarge.
Matterhorn Sunrise Over The Gorner Glacier
Sunrise warms the majestic Matterhorn (4,478 meters /14,692 ft) over the Gorner Glacier, the second-longest glacier in the Alps. This is the view that rewards you after completing the arduous trek over the glacier to the new Monte Rosa hut. I took this picture in 2010 after having made the trek to the hut with my wife and father.
Grossmünster Church, Zürich.
The Grossmünster church is a Romanesque-style Protestant church dating back to the 12th century. The twin towers of the Grossmünster are considered two of Zürich’s most recognized landmarks. Construction began around 1100 and the church was inaugurated around 1220. According to legend, the Grossmünster was founded by Charlemagne, whose horse fell to its knees over the tombs of Felix and Regula, Zürich’s two patron saints. Charlemagne thus had a church built as a monastery on the spot.
This long exposure shot (~2 min) of the church looks across the Münsterbrücke, a pedestrian and road bridge dating back to 1836 which spans the Limmat river.
Water Breathing Dragons in Zürich
Details of the Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling statue created in 1889 in honor of Alfred Escher, a renowned Zurich politician and entrepreneur.
Caïque Boat at Sunrise – Crete, Greece
Caïque Passing Spinalonga as Sunrise
Fall 2015 brings us to the Greek island of Crete. The tranquility of a cool sunrise is broken by the slow puttering of a traditional Caïque Greek fishing boat as it passes between the mainland town of Plaka and the island of Spinalonga in the Gulf of Elounda in north-eastern Crete.
Wheats Fields in Hjo, Sweden
2015
Beautiful flowing fields of golden grain on the outskirts of Hjo, Sweden. Perfect for long summer runs or bike rides.
Hjo, Sweden 2015
Hjo Harbor 2015
Hjo is a small picturesque Swedish town on the western shores of Sweden’s second largest lake, Lake Vättern. The town, which dates back to the early 1400s, is one of the only original Swedish “wooden cities” that remains largely intact, complete with cobbled streets on the town square. While historically operating primarily as a fishing village and later a spa town, it has now become a popular summer destination for those wishing to experience the slower, more idyllic ambiance of “old” Sweden.
Choir and Apse, St Nicholas Cathedral – Prague, Czech Republic.
Motherland Tour II/ Czech Republic
(click here to redirect to stop #1)
St Nicholas Choir and Apse, Prague, Czech Republic.
The Church of St Nicholas is a excellent example of High Baroque architecture. Built between 1704-1755, it is one of the most valuable Baroque buildings north of the Alps. Three generations of great Baroque architects – father, son and son-in-law – worked on the church: Kryštof Dientzenhofer, Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer and Anselmo Lurago. The Baroque organs have over 4,000 pipes up to six metres in length and were played by Mozart in 1787. Mozart’s spectacular masterpiece, Mass in C, was first performed in the Church of Saint Nicholas shortly after his visit.
Baroque was a period of artistic style that was popular during the High and Late Middle Ages (15th- 17th centuries) and is characterized by drama, rich color, and dramatic contrast between light and shadow. It used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, architecture, literature, dance, theater, and music.
Baroque vs Gothic:
Compare this image to my last post, St Vitus Cathedral Choir and Apse, which is a Late Gothic Cathedral (started in 1344) . This style of architecture flourished during the High and Late medieval period (11th – 14th centuries), and incorporated soaring towers, spires, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses which enabled the use of thinner walls and larger windows than previously feasible during the Romanesque architecture of the early middle ages.
Which style do you prefer?
Choir and Apse, St Vitus Cathedral – Prague, Czech Republic.
St Vitus Cathedral: Choir, Apse – Prague, Czech Republic
Motherland Tour II/ Czech Republic
St Vitus Choir and Apse, Prague, Czech Republic.
Roman Catholic Gothic Cathedral was founded on 21 November 1344 . This cathedral is an excellent example of Gothic architecture and is the biggest and most important church in the country. Located within Prague Castle , it contains the tombs of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors.
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