Tag Archives: historic

Back To Bayeux

In several previous posts, I showed you some glimpses of the glorious Bayeux Cathedral, the outside of the Bayeux Tapestry building, and some of the wonderful gargoyles and grotesques on the exterior of the very ornate cathedral.

Today we are just having a bit of a walk around the town itself. It is quite lovely, very walkable size-wise, and is blessed to still have rather a lot of the original architecture since it was less impacted by World War II than most of the Normandy countryside.

The charming streets of Bayeux, a very pretty, historic, and walkable town in Normandy, France.

People walking down a small cobbled street in the shopping district of Bayeux in Normandy, France on a bright and sunny day.

Looking down a narrow one way street in Bayeux, Normandy, France towards the 11th Century medieval cathedral at the end of the block.

Close-up details of the upper third of the dark red doors of the Bayeux Cathedral.

A poignant war memorial on a side street in Bayeux, Normandy, France. As a French soldier is shot and begins to fall, the young boy takes the weapon and will carry on.

Apologies for the return of the slightly larger watermarks again. I discovered several of my images being used on a German website where the person in question posted 3 of my images and claimed that they were his vacation pictures from Paris! Obviously the fact that they were all watermarked (and he cut that part off) and there is a COPYRIGHT notice posted in both my side bar and at the bottom of each page or post made no difference to this man.

After making direct contact with the person and receiving no response, I notified their ISP about their use of my image without payment or attribution. I gave them a link so that they could see that they were indeed my pictures and I told them that I had contacted the person and suggested that they just pay the bill for using the images.

The person in question apparently decided to ignore the issue, even after being contacted by me and by the ISP. So thankfully the ISP stepped in and the man’s site is no longer active. Good! It’s rather scandalous that people continue to troll the internet and use other people’s images as their own — but I am VERY PROACTIVE about pouncing when I discover that sort of blatant theft!

Iconic Graffiti-Covered Laneway Gets A Makeover in Melbourne

I was surprised to read in this morning’s newspapers online here in Australia that Hosier Lane, a rather well-known graffiti-covered spot in the heart of Melbourne, has had a makeover this week.

This tiny but historic street is amidst the old garment district of Melbourne and the laneway’s name tells you what was once there — hosiers — makers of socks and stockings. I was just there last week taking the photos below, but now it has had a fresh ‘undercoat’ placed on the brick walls and laneway paving so that the graffiti artists can come back and create fresh artwork on a ‘blank canvas’ of blue paint. Curious, or perhaps intentional, that blue was chosen as the background colour since the laneway has a distinct blue overtone due to the quality of light that sifts into the narrow street as the taller buildings loom over it.

Interesting idea — or simply strange? Some of the previous ‘artwork’ was surprisingly well done. It’s all a matter of individual taste and some people will never enjoy the tiny slice of over-the-top-colourful Melbourne across Flinders Street from Federation Square on Hosier Lane.

Graffiti covered Hosier Lane in the heart of Melbourne, Australia

Graffiti covered Hosier Lane in the heart of Melbourne, Australia with the Federation Square entry to the NGV Ian Potter art museum at the end of the laneway across Flinders Street

Graffiti covered Hosier Lane in the heart of Melbourne, Australia

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: Tired Tourists in Brussels, Belgium

Today’s photo has an interesting twist. I was concentrating on the architectural shot of the historic Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg on the Place Royale. There at the base of the monument to Godfrey of Bouillon, a crusader knight, were these two people sitting on the steps. I didn’t actually notice them as I was taking the shot, so it was quite a surprise to discover the ‘tired tourists’ when I downloaded the pictures from my camera.

The man looks quite exhausted! It may have only been April, but it was rather hot and extremely sunny on that particular day. I think I inadvertently captured two people who reached their fatigue level before I did on that Saturday afternoon.

Tired tourists rest at the base of a monument to Crusade knight Godfrey of Bouillon in the Place Royale in the heart of Brussels, Belgium. The Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg is in the background.

This entry was posted in Building and Construction, Churches and Cathedrals, Europe, History and Archaeology, Photography, Travel and tagged Belgium, Brussels, church, Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg, cobblestone streets, crusader knight, EU, europe, Godfrey of Bouillon, historic, hot, monument, Place Royale, resting, sitting, statue, sunny, tourism, tourists, travel on 24/05/2013 by Deborah Harmes.

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

COPYRIGHT
©Deborah Harmes and ©A Wanderful Life
Please respect the words and images on this page.
All rights reserved.

This entry was posted in Architecture and Architectural Details, Art, City Breaks, Europe, France, Humourous, Photography, Travel and tagged architecture, cafe, cobblestones, europe, France, historic, Montmartre, Paris, photo essay, retail, shops, stone buildings, tourism, tourists, travel on 14/04/2013 by Deborah Harmes.

Slivers of History On The Side Of The Road in France

You forget sometimes, you really do. Living pretty well anywhere in Europe means that you are always immersed in history. But it still puts a smile on your face when you are out having a drive through the countryside and you see something like this — the medieval Château de Quéribus — built in 1200 and considered to be the last of the Cathar strongholds.

Road sign for the Cathar stronghold Chateau de Queribus in the Aude region of the Midi-Pyrenees in France

Perched atop the highest point for miles around, the Cathar stronghold Chateau de Queribus in the Aude region of the Midi-Pyrenees in France

We aren’t certain if we will be going back in the late Spring for a visit once the chateau is re-opened for the tourist season. But I wanted to share this little glimpse of the fascinating and ever-present history that is a part of life in France.

COPYRIGHT
©Deborah Harmes and ©A Wanderful Life
Please respect the words and images on this page.
All rights reserved.

This entry was posted in Architecture and Architectural Details, Europe, France, History and Archaeology, Museums and Galleries, Travel and tagged ancient, archaeology, architecture, Aude, castle, Cathar, Cathares, Cathars, Chateau, Chateau de Queribus, Cucugnan, europe, France, historic, history, Midi-Pyrenees, ruin, tourism, travel on 01/01/2013 by Deborah Harmes.

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