Travel

Thursday Thoughts – Sissinghurst, a Gardener’s Dream

/ Leya / 39 kommentarer

Sarah of Travel With Me posted on Sissinghurst for the LACP this week, and I recommend reading her post for its beauty and for the background history of the house and grounds. For species and extraordianry flower knowledge, I recommend you go to Jude’s beautiful site. As I visited some weeks ago, I had prepared a post for today – but this garden is well worth visiting more than once.

Sissinghurst in Kent is a famous English garden, with a series of ‘garden rooms’, each filled with different planting schemes and unique designs. This garden is a result of Harold Nicolson’s design and the plantings of his wife, author Vita Sackville-West.

It was such a treat to visit a place where creative cooperation showed such magnificent results. I have read several works of Virginia Woolf, and knew she had an intimate relation with Vita Sackville-West. I can imagine they must have enjoyed each others company as creative souls. I could almost see them walking together here, arm in arm through the gardens.

I loved the different ”garden rooms”. Maybe mostly the white garden and the yellow garden.

This is the view from the top of the tower, where the different ”rooms ” are clearly showing. And Vita Sackville-West’s writing room in the tower was extremely difficult to photograph, as it was in the middle of the narrow staircases and only a tiny platform to land on while other visitors were passing by.

I hope you enjoyed Sissinghurst once again!

Lens-Artists Challenge #309 – Balconies

/ Leya / 33 kommentarer

PR of Flights of the Soul is our next lovely guest host, and she is inviting us to find Balconies – please visit her beautiful site for interesting facts and more inspiration!

PR talks about the many ways of using a balcony, and – some cities seem to have no balconies at all, while others have them in every building. In many countries I have seen a dog sitting or walking on the balcony of a house. Hopefully the door in is not closed!

So, we are looking for balconies… A good advise is going to Georgia (not in the US…) and Old Town Tblisi. In the header though, is a Bhutanese balcony for monks only.

For well kept, beautiful architecture and balconies, an impressive place to visit is Prague. This balcony is surely not intended only for a quiet, nice cup of coffee.

The second gallery is from around Europe – we do have some interesting balconies too!

These are from Denmark, Madrid, Barcelona, Bulgaria and Sweden. The ants at Wanås Castle is a work by Colombian Rafael Gómezbarros. And, of course you will recognise Gaudi’s spectacular architecture. PR, the last one is for you – an inside view of the largest balcony of Casa Battló.

Do you have a balcony of your own or are you thinking of some that impressed you? Do remember to use the Lens-Artists tag, and connect to PR’s original post.

Last week, we saw great responses to the challenge Perfect Pairs – a joy! Next week the Lens-Artists team will be back, with Patti starting off the challenge on her Pilotfish blog. Until then- stay nice, enjoy your vacation if you have one, travels if you do and above all – Life. A big Thank You to PR and all guest hosts!

Thursday Thoughts – Culture Fun

/ Leya / 17 kommentarer

The Japanese culture is very much beauty and refined custom – but also so much more. What do you think is hiding behind these glass doors?

Pachinko! Pachinko is a mechanical game originating in Japan. It is used as an archade game and for gambling. These parlors are widespread in Japan, and is comparable to slot machine palaces in the West. Althought it has now declined in popularity, in 1994 the sales and revenues from Pachinko parlors contributed 5.6% of Japan’s 500 trillion yen GDP and employed 330000 people. (Wikipedia)

Gambling for cash is illegal in Japan, but the popularity has enabled a legal loophole allowing it to exist.

Machines for children wanting toys and candy? We have some quite similar ones here in the West.

In Japan, Karaoke is extremely popular – and maybe posing with pretty girls! This guy posed with paper girls, happily smiling, while his little son ran away from the scene – I wonder why…

I must post a piece of the young Japanese literature and film culture too. Anime. Manga. And a couple of girls dressed in stylish street fashion. (There are MANY styles – from Dolly Key to Genderless)

There’s no end to the popularity of these stories and charachters in Japan – you see them everywhere. In Sweden they enjoy massive attention. I know. My daughter and her friends still watch some of those movies, and I have watched a couple of them, because I wanted to understand why youngsters love them. In fact I found them very intricate, well written, and morally and ethically wise. But on the other hand, I haven’t seen them all…

Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece Spirited Away teaches friendship, love and bravery in a universal way which made the movie famous world wide. I must say I liked it. It is worth seeing even if you are an adult or an elderly person.

Thursday Thoughts – Hachikō

/ Leya / 32 kommentarer

Everyone who once has owned the friendship of a dog, will love the story of Hachikō – Japan’s most famous dog.

Hachikō was an Akita-inu, born in 1923. He followed his master to the Shibuya station in Tokyo every day and met him there every night when he returned.

But one day, professor Ueno suddenly died and never came back. Hachikō waited for almost ten years for his master, sitting at the same place outside the station. Many people cared for him and helped him, so…

…his story got wings and travelled around the world, even to Sweden. As a child I read about him and was very moved by his faithfulness. At home we always had both cats and dogs, so my heart was aching for his fate.

In 1934, his statue was unveiled, and Hachikō himself was present too. Today there is always a long queue to his statue – young and old – everyone wants a photo with him by their side. Even if it is heavily raining…The station gate and exit wear his name and on the wall there are several Akita-inu dogs portrayed.

This was one of my must-see places in Tokyo.

The whole story of the faithful Hachikō is here.

Thursday Thoughts – He’s got the look

/ Leya / 14 kommentarer

This bust in Kokura Castle intrigued me. The man’s name was not possible to read, neither was the artist’s name. They were only written in Japanese, and there was nobody to ask about it.

I walked past him several times, as he was standing (if a bust can stand?) close to the entrance gate. Each time I felt someone was watching me. It was something with his eyes.

I know about (and have seen such paintings) Renaissance painters who could paint eyes that seemingly followed you, but sculptures? They say it is about how the iris is placed against the white part of the eye. Anyhow, he was creepy. And in my picture, the surrounding photographic blur mirrors the look in his eyes.

What are your thoughts? Have you experienced something similar? Has someone got a further explanation to the phenomenon?

Thursday Thoughts

/ Leya / 19 kommentarer

When visiting the reclining Buddha, we passed by Acalanatha, the fierce Buddhist deity, god of fire, said to protect worshipers from disasters or harm. At his feet were numerous Buddha disciples. I was fascinated by their expressions – everyone different. Fantastic work.

Enjoy some of them from a closer position. They were covered in moss and lichen, but their faces and gestures were so very alive.

I hope you too found them fascinating!