four years ago...

(This is an adaptation  of a post published four years ago...!)

A short visit to the small town of Cicagna, near Genoa, in Italy. A tiny, beautiful, quiet place with an ancient Roman trail...!

And amazing trompe l´oeil:

The local church. I was told this is the typical construction of the Liguria churches: white Carrara marble and the local (more affordable) black stone.

This is across the street from the church. All windows closed because of the heat wave!

And then I heard the story of one of the most famous Cicagna daughters: Rosa Maria Segale (1850-1941), better known as Sister Blandina, an Italian nun who moved to the US with her family at an early age and wrote of her life in the American west of the nineteenth century. Sister Blandina Maria Segale fought against great odds , including encounters with the renowned outlaw Billy The Kid. It is a fascinating story, a short biography  can be found here.

I am joining Window Views.

looking out

...from a bodega in Valencia, Spain. Established in 1836.

Window Views

teen in pink entering her dream pink house

window views

V is for ventana

which means w i n d o w in Spanish. This particular one was found in France, where there is a tiny Santa Claus  village near Geneva open all year 'round . In fact, I took this picture last April (see the site in French here. Updated with a facebook site) I will be looking out the window (in a figurative way, I am actually going to the airport) because we are expecting family to arrive today. Which is the reason why I won't be around much,  I will try my best to multitask and visit, but if you miss me or I am late, know that real life is keeping me busy. And happy!!

ABC Wednesday       Window Views

Fenster

 (pls click to enlarge!!)

Day 5 of our 10-day trip to Germany found us visiting Erfurt and Weimar. In Erfurt we saw this newly renovated building, a  red house from the 16th century Renaissance with the  name Zum Breiten Herd (link in German only)- House of the Wide Stove, built in 1584. The ground floor  was in fire in July 2008, that explains the house renovation. (I am always amazed about the things the net can tell us!)


Here is a closer picture of the top window  and the decorations, including  the Gaffköpfe (staring heads) and the figure of a servant on the very top.

And a cultural moment in which this blog shows you Goethe's home in Weimar. He lived here from 1782 until his death in 1832.

 

window views

pink rococo

window views
(click to enlarge)

Still on Day Two of our 10-day Germany trip with a rental M*ini Cooper, this time admiring the Electoral Palace of Trier, considered one of the loveliest rococo palaces in the world. Today, the Electoral Palace is the seat of the District Supervisory Authorities. A rococo room , with capacity for 190 people, can be rented for conferences. Or a bloggers' meet up...

"The three wings of the palace were built between 1615 and 1756 in a Rococo style that is accented by a peachy-pink paint color against the white plaster details.(...). Since the Palace is a working administrational building, it is rare to gain access to the inside, and so the Garden is the real attraction.The Gardens feature a variety of styles from Baroque to Greco-Roman and are spotted with classical statues." Source.

cologne windows

As it was to be expected, Cologne cathedral has spectacular stained glass windows, some of them are beautifully shown here and here . The one which caught my attention, however, was the “different one”, where no particular figures or symbols were identified:

Getting closer:

window views

Such modern art for a gothic cathedral, was my first thought! it was a most amazing surprise during the visit to the cathedral. Thanks to g**gle I now know it is Gerhard Richter's 'Symphony of Light' (finished in August 2007) and that it replaced the southern window , which had consisted of simple unadorned glass ever since the original stained-glass window was destroyed during World War II. I also learned that "The archbishop, who is not opposed to modern art per se, reportedly wanted to have a figurative work, for example with representations of saints or 20th century martyrs, rather than an abstract one". Source. It was not without controversy!!

"The 11,500 squares of glass in 72 colors fill the 20-meter-high window, which was designed by Gerhard Richter, one of Germany's most important living artists. The 75-year-old painter and photographer declared that he was happy the project had been a success, particularly as, unlike his other work, it isn’t intended to hang for a short time but is to be a "window for eternity." " Source

mi casa es su casa

window views

A unique window, which belongs to a favorite building in Barcelona: Casa Batlló. I have never toured this building as the long queues always talk me out of it...

city windows

window views

A building in a busy street, downtown Barcelona. A red traffic light made me stop and then I looked up, discovering the beautiful details...

beautiful summer

window views

That was the name of this little restaurant we found in a charming village near the Tarn River in France. We had dinner outside and I took this picture from my seat, it was a wonderful summer night, the place was well visited and the narrow cobbled streets were very lively as all small stores and boutiques were open until late at night.

The kitchen was on the second floor so the waitresses had lots to do running up and down. Every so often the cook would look out the window, forgot to check if they also had tables there. A sweet memory is the dessert Mr Mar ordered. I ordered a second spoon...!

in a heartbeat

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As I am fond of hearts, I was initially only interested in the cropped heart off the small fence. If you look closely, you will see the French Alps in lush green reflected on the window!

heights

window views

The window view comes back with the reflection...here you see an Alpine glacier and yours truly wearing the loyal vacation hat. The picture was taken last week.

bluer than blue

window views

Windows reflected on windows... This is a picture I took in Seville back in 2005 with my first digital camera. Time just flies!

hot

window views

In the summer months blinds are kept down in Seville to keep the heat and the light out at midday. No view out of the window, but a cooler atmosphere indoors.

windows, thatched roofs, and more...

A closer look to the homes seen on my prior post. These pictures were taken at the Baltic Sea in Germany. I particularly liked the thatched roofs and the roof ornaments. And enjoyed seeing many windows!

Love these windows under the roof:

Detail of a roof ornament and unusual window:

And below is the whole home:

Here you could see through one window from the road to the Baltic Sea!

window views
AND I found another theme: theme thursday : r o o f

Northern snapshots

True Colours Thursday: ivory Window Views

We flew with a popular low-cost Irish airline to Germany, the small airport was located near Lübeck (about 60 Km/ 38 miles from Hamburg) and that's where we went for dinner that evening. We were welcomed by this peaceful scenery, displaying many windows and some ivory buildings...

This is a major landmark, the Holstentor, a late Brick Gothic city gate, the only still existing one beside the Burgtor and part of the medieval fortifications of Lübeck . It used to appear on the back of the 50 DM banknote: (Update- 50 DM would be 25 euros today or USD 35)

courtesy of wikimedia

leaving on a jet plane

above text by textanim

I will be gone for one week. I will be spending quality time with family (Mr. Mar's side) and friends in Northern Germany: at the Baltic Sea and in Hamburg. I will be busy catching up and having fun with real people! and I am so thrilled about it that I will dedicate all my time and attention to them. Blogging activities will be resumed soon enough early in June.

The flight lasts a bit over 2 hours, maybe the clouds move away to allow us to see the Alps from above. Last January I flew home to Chile (I have several homes in my heart) and I had a fantastic window view of the Andes in summertime and particularly of the mighty Aconcagua mountain. At 6,962 metres (22,841 ft), it is the highest mountain in the Americas, and the highest mountain outside Asia.

I am adding my link to window views although I can only interact with the early birds before leaving and won't be able to look through your window until I get back. I have mixed feelings about linking and leaving, though... Thanks for keeping this place alive by leaving your friendly and much appreciated words below.