Tag Archives: architecture

Historic Forum Theatre Interior & Reflection in Melbourne, Australia

Go back a few days and you will find the post I made about the lovely old Forum Theatre in Melbourne, Australia. An artist friend of mine, Kate, mentioned that she remembered the beautiful interior of the lobby. So today I am showing you that grandly old-fashioned lobby — followed by a reflection of the marvelous old theatre into the frankly modern exterior of the entry to the NGV Ian Potter art museum at Federation Square which is directly across Flinders Street.

What you can’t really see on the glowing dark blue skies are the tiny stars — and apologies for the slightly fuzzy-focus of the columns. The lighting inside was SO subdued that the camera was having a hard time in all of that darkness.

Enjoy!

Interior lobby of the Forum Theatre in Melbourne, Australia

Ornate columns holding lighting inside the interior lobby of the Forum Theatre in Melbourne, Australia

Reflection of the lovely and old Forum Theatre into the starkly new and modern glass facade of Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia

Photo Of The Day: The Forum Theatre in Melbourne, Australia

Isn’t that a simply stunning and ornate exterior! But it really does reflect the craftsmanship and high level of architectural detail that used to go into buildings such as these. The Forum Theatre in Melbourne, Australia has been around since the late 1920s and thank heavens it wasn’t torn down to make way for yet another slab of modern glass architecture. We do NEED a mix of styles instead of wall-to-wall modernity.

Opened in 1929, the Forum Theatre in Melbourne, Australia

Photo Of The Day: Angles of Steepness in Melbourne, Australia

Taken from a bridge walkway down onto another glass bridge walkway, a photo of angles and steepness inside the contemporary interior space of the NGV art museum in Melbourne, Australia.

Taken from a high walkway overhead, a lone woman walks on a green-tinted glass bridge within the contemporary interior of the NGV art museum in Melbourne, Australia.

Photo Essay: Meandering Through Montmartre in Paris

There are more sides to Montmartre, the district that sits high atop the Paris landscape, than the crowds at Sacre Couer. This photo essay will show you some of the lovely or funny things that we saw as we walked around.

Art Nouveau building on Rue Lamarck in Paris, France

Bright pink boulangerie (bakery) in the Montmartre district of Paris, France

Montmartre cafe at dusk

Cafe interior in Montmartre

Stairway passages through the hilltops of Montmartre

Colourful chairs & tables at a sidewalk cafe in the Montmartre district of Paris, France

Nun in full habit (which is rather unusual nowadays) walking down Rue Lamarck in Montmartre, Paris, France

Cartoon advertisement in the window of a plumbing & heating shop in the Montmartre district of Paris, France

Spectacles (events) kiosk in the Montmartre district of Paris, France

Photos of Beauty In Stone & Iron Atop Montmartre

You know that the skies are colourless when practically every exterior photo that you take looks as if it’s in black and white — but it isn’t. These three pictures from the exterior of the Basilica of Sacre Couer atop Montmartre in Paris are a perfect example.

It is an extraordinarily ornate building and visually quite interesting.

Gargoyle on the exterior facade of Sacre Couer in Paris, France

Ornate ironwork on the exterior of Sacre Couer in Paris, France

The ornate domes of Sacre Couer in Paris, France

Up To Montmartre & Sacre Couer

It has been over two decades since I last visited Montmartre and the Basilica of Sacre Couer — and somehow Mark had never gone there at all. So we made a trip to that elevated part of Paris and I’ll be dividing the coverage into Sacre Couer alone and Montmartre in general.

One historical note — the Basilica was completed in 1914 — a mere 99 years ago. So it is not one of the ancient monuments of Paris.

Mark had found a link online to an alternative way to get there that would be a lot less stressful regarding the amount of stairs to climb. And it also would be keeping us away from the scam artists and pickpockets that cluster outside the Abbesses stop on the Metro. That report online is at this link.

As suggested, we got off at the Lamarck station, followed the signs, and took the much more gentle route up Rue Lamarck.

Lamarck Metro entry

Montmartre sign leading to the top

A gentle ramble up Rue Lamarck in Montmartre

After climbing a few dozen stairs, we arrived on the much quieter (and equally pretty!) back facade of Sacre Couer. The skies were so gray that my pictures looked practically black and white.

Arriving at Sacre Couer from the back of the hilltop overlooking Montmartre and Paris

Main interior of Sacre Couer in Paris, France

Lit candles glow softly in front of a statue of Mary inside Sacre Couer atop Montmartre in Paris, France

It was a less than relaxed visit given the number of teenage schoolchildren swarming all over the entry to the massive church and clustered outside on the plaza in front of the main entry. Truly — I enjoyed the architecture (including the gargoyles and crisp domes) more than the ‘vibe’ of the place.

Come back in a day or two to read (and see!) the parts of Montmartre that I did REALLY enjoy!

Gargoyles along the top of Sacre Couer in the Montmartre district of Paris, France

The Massive Angel Of The North Sculpture in the UK

We had passed it several times over the last few years as we travelled either north or south along the eastern coastline of the UK — the massive Angel Of The North sculpture looming over the highway outside of Newcastle. But this time, in spite of the snow flurries and icy temperatures, we stopped to view this huge piece by British artist Antony Gormley.

I’ve made sure that I included two images that contain an adult in them so you can get an idea of the scale of this very, very large piece of artwork.

Enjoy!

Angel Of The North Sculpture by Antony Gormley on a hillside overlooking the motorway into Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Mark (6 ft. tall) standing at the bottom of The Angel Of The North sculpture

Close-up of the beautiful metal structure of the Angel Of The North Sculpture by Antony Gormley on a hillside overlooking the motorway into Newcastle Upon Tyne.

A Wanderful Life

The Neverending Journey