Moscheea Albastra, cea mai renumita din Istanbul, este unica in Turcia deoarece are 6 minarete. Constructia a durat intre 1603-1617. Se pare ca Sultan Ahmet Camii care a poruncit inaltarea sa, a cerut minarete de aur. Cele doua cuvinte “aur” si “sase” fiind asemanatoare…Arhitectura este una deosebita prin efectul pe care il creeaza domurile asezate in cascada. Numele moscheii se datoreaza interiorului sau, unde 20000 de placi ceramice de Iznik sau de Kuthaya, creeaza aceasta culoare continua, prezentand modele diverse: flori, copaci dar si modele abstracte. Lumina intra pe 260 de ferestre. Moschee este in functie, deci poate fi vizitata doar in afara orelor de slujba.
Daca nu faceti parte dintr-un grup organizat, pregatiti-va pentru o lunga asteptare la intrare, datorita numarului mare de turisti care o viziteaza.
The treasures of this museum are the mosaics, dating from VI-IX centuries. After the church was transformed into a mosque, the mosaics have been covered by plaster. On 1847 they have been restored in order to be registered, an then covered again. On 1894 a big earthquake destroyed parts of the church and, probably, some mosaics, which have not been found again, at the restauration in 1931.
Biserica de 1400 ani vechime a fost inaugurata de imparatul Constantin al II-lea, in 360. In acea vreme, era o basilica cu acoperis din lemn, cladita pe locul unui templu pagan. Aceasta a ars insa, in timpul unei revolte din 404. Din ordinul lui Theodossius al II-lea biserica a fost reconstruita dar nici istoria sa nu este prea lunga: 405-532, cand este din nou distrusa in timpul altei revolte. Cel care o reconstruieste de data asta este Justinian cel Mare, care o inaugureaza in 537. Materiale au fost aduse din tot imperiul: din Siria, piatra galbena, din Egipt, porfir, iar de la Templul din lui Artemis din Ephes, Coloanele elenice. Dupa cucerirea Constantinopolului (1453), sultanul Mehmet II a ordonat transformarea ei in moschee. Sultanii care au urmat, au tot adaugat cate ceva. Astfel, forma originala i-a fost schimbata prin construirea, in timp, a unor contraforti, precum si a unor minarete din caramida. Vizitatorii din vest aveau nevoie de un firman (aprobare) de la sultan pentru a o putea vizita. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, fondatorul Turciei moderne, a hotarat transformarea moscheii intr-un muzeu, in 1931. Muzeul a fost dechis in 1935.
Interiorul (naosul) copleseste prin cupola imensa, inalta de 56 m. Initial, acolo existau mozaicuri (pana in sec. al XIX-lea), acum este decorata cu inscriptii din Coran. La etaj, unde se afla adevaratele comori – mozaicurile bizantine, datand din secolele VI-IX – se urca pe un plan inclinat, pietruit. Dupa transformarea in moschee, mozaicurile au fost acoperite cu ciment. In 1847 a avut loc o restaurare a lor, cu scopul inregistrarii dar, in 1894, a avut loc un mare cutremur care a distrus parti din biserica si probabil si mozaicuri deoarece la dezvelirea din 1931 ele nu au mai fost gasite.
De fapt, traseul nostru a fost: Bucuresti-Edirne-Cannakale-Troia-Izmir-Marmaris-Pammukale-Istanbul- Bucuresti. Dupa ce am traversat Bulgaria, care mi s-a parut cenusie, anosta si chiar neingrijita, primul “eveniment” important a fost traversarea stramtorii Dardanele, la Cannakale. Vad cu ochii mei acum ce am invatat la geografie, cand incurcam deseori asezarea Dardanelelor cu Bosforul! In calatoria aceasta le voi vedea pe amandoua.
De la Denizli pana la Kuthaya, unde am facut o halta de ajustare, muntii par cetati in ruina.
Oak Bay Marina offered a large view to the Juan de Fuca straight. A lighthouse, birds, small rocky uninhabited islets, round heads of seals. I have been lucky enough to see a seal near the shore and I photographed it!
In prima zi cand am ajuns in Canada, la Victoria, primul meu drum a fost la mare, la marina. “Marina”, cuvant provenit din latina, desemneaza tarmul. Tehnic vorbind, o marina este un bazin special amenajat pentru a primi iahturi si barci mici, oferind diverse facilitati pentru acestea. Imi plac barcile si de aceea vizitez o marina de cate ori am prilejul.Drumul pana la marina, facut pe jos, m-a purtat printre case care de care mai cochete si mai atragatoare. Personal, as sta in oricare dintre ele. Voi pe care ati alege-o?
In marina, am avut o priveliste larga spre stramtoarea Juan de Fuca. Un far, mici insule nelocuite, langa care se itesc capete de foci, pasari si desigur, multe barci. Tipetele pescarusilor ne-au insotit in aceasta plimbare. Undeva, la poalele unor stanci am putut chiar vedea si fotografia mai de aproape, o foca.
Acolo, deasupra plajei de langa marina, am vazut si ce inseamna conceptul de “vila cu plaja privata”….
Here, on Vancouver island and the other little islands, a lot of artists made home. Some of them continued to work and, from time to time, they organize little exhibition like this. It was an exhibition with sale, presenting handmade jewels, small wooden sculptures, traditional furniture made of branches, etc.
After we admired everything, we descended on the beach. It was a typical Pacific beach in Canada: little, tucked in a cove, covered with pebbles and full of trunks carried by the ocean’s waters and abandoned on the shore.
The last stop was Port Renfrew, a real wilderness spot! Two big trails for backpackers: Juan de Fuca Trail – 47 km and West Coast Trail – 74 km, two lakes: Fairy Lake and Lizard Lake, a wonderful park called Botanical Beach (very dangerous because of big and strong tidal waves, and also because of black bears and cougars) are some of the favourites for the visitors. Swimming, canoeing, hiking, and fishing are the principal activities there.
Aici, pe Insula Vancouver si pe micile insule din jur, traiesc artisti plastici, actori si muzicieni, in case de vis.
Multi continua sa lucreze aici si, din cand in cand, organizeaza cate o expozitie. Cea pe care am vazut-o era cu vanzare si prezenta bijuterii facute manual, sculptura mica in lemn, mobila traditionala facuta din copaci (moda care s-a extins si la noi in ultimii ani).
Ultima oprire in aceasta excursie a fost Port Renfrew, o mica comunitate asezata in salbaticie, un paradis al pescarilor. Aici se afla doua mari drumuri pentru amatorii de drumeție (Juan de Fuca Trail – 47 km si West Coast Trail – 74 km), cu rucsacul, dar si doua lacuri, Lacul Zanelor si Lacul Soparlei. Se poate pescui, innota, plimba cu caiakul, etc. Plaja Botanica este foarte frumoasa dar necesita precautii datorita populatiilor de ursi negri si cougari, precum si a valurilor mari si puternice create de fenomenul de flux/reflux.
The Art Gallery of Victoria is hosted in a nice, wooden, Victorian house from 1889. Besides the works of art, the gallery has in his little Japanese garden the only original shinto shrine in whole North America.
Shinto is one of the oldest relion in the world, with 3-4 millions adherents in Japan. The basis of this religion is the belief in kami (spirits) and the old deities.The name comes from the Chinese “shin tao”, which means “the way of the kami”.
In the little garden one may see Japanese mapples and bamboo, stone and metl lanterns, a basin with water for purification. The garden is very relaxing so I took advantage of it, as I was alone there.
In 2010 am inceput un serial despre British Columbia, Canada pe care apoi l-am abandonat. Mai e cate ceva de povestit despre calatoria mea acolo, in 2005, asa ca voi continua acum.
Galeria de Arta a capitalei statului BC, Victoria, are – pe langa colectiile de arta – o mica gradina japoneza, care adaposteste singurul altar shinto original, din toata America de Nord. Cladirea in care se afla galeria este o resedinta victoriana de la 1889, din lemn.
Pentru cine nu stie, shinto este una dintre cele mai vechi religii din lume. Ea are, in Japonia, 3-4 milioane de adepti. In esenta, se bazeaza pe credinta in kami (spirite) si vechii zei. Numele sau provine din chinezescul “shin tao” care inseamna “calea lui kami”.
http://travelinghawk.blogspot.com/2010/11/visul-canadian-ep-5-din-victoria-la.html
ep.6 2.11.2010 – Din Victoria la Tofino (2) / From Victoria to Tofino (2)
http://travelinghawk.blogspot.com/2010/11/visul-canadian-ep6-de-la-victoria-la.html
Mi-era dor de mare si stiind ca ea nu e departe de Granada, am plecat cu autobuzul intr-o dupa amiaza, la Almunecar pe Costa Tropical. Spre surpriza mea, desi era luna mai, doar cativa localnici, nici urma de turisti inca.
Drumul pana acolo m-a purtat printr-o zona de munti nu prea inalti dar destul de verzi, comparativ cu ce vazusem intre Madrid si Granada. M-a impresionat faptul ca orice palma de pamant roditor, oricat de mica, fusese transformata intr-o gradina.
Langa autogara, in Plaza de Agua, o interesanta statuie de bronz, care aminteste ca cea mai importanta resursa este apa. In gluma, grupului statuar i se spune “dansatorii de breakdance fara cap, ai epocii de bronz”.
Initial, Almunecar a fost o colonie feniciana, numita Sexi (da, chiar asa!), ai carei locuitori s-au ocupat cu pescuitul. Greci, romani si mauri au cucerit pe rand locul, considerat foarte important pentru comertul cu peste. Relativ recent (anii ’70-’80) s-au descoperit in Parcul Botanic Majuelo ruinele asa numitelor “salazones“, gropi cu sare intre care erau canale de apa si care erau folosite la saratul pestelui. Deasupra lor se inalta Castelul San Miguel, construit de romani in secolul I inainte de Christos. Maurii sunt insa cei care l-au fortificat, construind 46 turnuri de aparare si 3 porti principale.
M-am indreptat apoi spre Plaja Velilla. Era pustie. Am stat acolo vreo jumatate de ora, privind marea si ascultand cum se sparg valurile de tarm. Ma incalzea un soare bland, de primavara. Cu dorul de mare oarecum alinat, m-am intors in Granada.
A Short Trip to Almunecar
I missed the sea, so I took a bus in an afternoon, from Granada, and went to Almunecar, on Costa Tropical. Much to my surprise, no tourists there yet, only few locals.
On the way, I passed through hills, and I was impressed to see that every piece of good soil was exploited.
Near the bus stop, in Plaza de Agua an interesting bronze statue reminds that the most important resource is water. The nickname of the statue is “the headless breakdancers of the bronze age”.
At the beginning it was a Phoenician colony, called Sexi (yest, exactly!), then it was conquered by Greeks, Romans and Arabs. Only in the ’70-’80, they discovered in the Majuelo Botanical Gardens vestiges of the “salazones”, pitches with salt, united by water channels, which have been used for salting the fishes. This was the principal occupation of the population in this area.
Above the Botanical Garden rises the San Miguel Castle, built by Romans and made into a fortress by the Arabs.
I walked a little I town. Low blocks of flats, houses and a church built during 1567-1600 by King’s Philip II architect, Juan de Herrera. The Velilla Beach was deserted. I sat there for half an hour, admiring the see and hearing to the waves. I was warmed up by a spring sun. Then, I took the bus back, to Granada.
I used again my old photos (14 years have passed since them), not so good either, I know, to show you, those who haven’t seen Spain, how beautiful this country is! One may associate the name of this town (700000 inhabitants, the capital of Andalusia) with Rossini’s “Barber of Seville”, with the legend of Don Juan, and even with the renowned “tapas” (Spanish appetizers, served in bars). The great painters Velasquez and Murillo have been born here, and so on.
The Moorish domination influenced the aspect of the town, and the great Latin American Exhibition on 1929 left a lot of new constructions in the inventory.
On the place of the Cathedral it was a mosque of which only the minaret was preserved (The Giralda Tower, 1184). In time, it served also as an astronomycal observatory.
In Plaza d’Espagna, the architect Anibal Gonzales erected for the 1929 Exhibition a beautiful construction, using elements of Art Deco and neo- Mudejar styles. The place have been used for filming for Star Wars, Lawrence of Arabia and The Dictator (source: Wikipedia). The construction is in the middle of the Maria Luiza Park, a moorish style park with fountains, ponds, pavilions and statues. This is not the only park in the town. I was also in the Murillo Park, a sevillian style garden with ceramics and many flowers.
Real Alcazar (The Royal Palace) started to be erected between 913-914, and continued through Baroque and Renaissance periods. What you see today reflects this long time span. At the entrance, a Roman wall, then the Islamic period construction – carried out by people sent from Granada. The most valued part by the royal families was the Pedro’s Palace, which is still used when the royal family is in town. Here, Patio de las Doncellas and Patio de las Munecas are the focus points.
Even if I used only old photos, I hope that I convinced you that a visit to Sevilla is worth! I would return there, convinced that there are many more to discover…
Am mers de la Granada la Sevilla cu autobuzul, sa vad Alcazarul (Palatul regal), dar gandul meu ascuns sta la Guadalquivir…Numele acestei ape pe care mi-o imaginam maiestuoasa ca Amazonul, mi-a ramas in minte din adolescenta, purtat de poezia lui Minulescu (cata lume il mai citeste, oare, astazi?):
“Schimbam ciresii’n palmieri,
Pe tata mare’n “Uncle Sam”
Si Oltul in Guadalquivir…”
(Versurile astea parca sunt esenta visurilor unui calator…Nu asa facem cand ne imaginam un loc indepartat, unde n-am mai fost?) Numai ca visul nu s-a prea potrivit…
May is a good year to visit Sapnish towns because it is not too hot yet. Anyhow, Madrid has a lot of fountains and greenery which make the temperatures bearable.
And where could you find a statue of Don Quichotte de la Mancha if not here, in Madrid?!
Plaza Mayor (17th century) and Puerta del Sol are places were a tourist always goes. On May, you may see a lot of senioritas with colorful dresses. Juan de Villanueva is the author of last renovations here. The first buildings were of wood and they were destroyed by fires many times.
The large and animated boulevards enable us to see beautiful buildings of different styles. Madrid is a vivid town, people come and go, the Merridional noise always present.
The Retiro Park is a nice spot. Buil as a retirement (retiro) place for the royal family, now it is the park of the inhabitants of Madrid. Another tourist objective is, of course, the Royal Palace, built between 1738-1764, on the site of a Moorish fortress from the 9th. century. As inspiration, Bernini’s drawings for the Louvre have been used. Out of 2500 rooms, 50 could be visited by tourists.
But Madrid has also modern parts. AZCA is a kind of La Defence in Paris. It is the financial district too, of course.When I was there, 14 years ago, the Picasso Tower was the highest (43 levels), now I’m sure I’d be surprised…
In asteptarea viitoarei calatorii, ma uit pe fotografii vechi si ma gandesc sa va arat si voua cum am vazut eu Madridul, de exemplu, acum 14 ani. O plimbare prin oras intr-o zi de sambata, inainte de a-mi lua zborul, dupa o saptamana de munca petrecuta in Granada
Luna mai in Spania este placuta, nu s-au instalat inca caldurile mari. Fantanile nenumarate ale orasului si multa vegetatie atenueaza oricum senzatia de prea cald. Ies in evidenta Fantana lui Neptun din Piata Canovas del Castillo, Fantana Cibeles sau Fantana Gloriette de Atocha.
Unde anume decat in capitala Spaniei ar fi mai potrivita o statuie a lui Don Quichotte de la Mancha?
Nu va imaginati insa ca la Madrid nu puteti vedea si arhitectura moderna. Zona numita AZCA, este un fel de La Defence parizian. Aici este cartierul financiar, numit “zona cu zgarie nori”. Acum 14 ani, cel mai inalt era Turnul Picasso, cu 43 de etaje. Cred insa ca as avea surprize acum…