open to the heavens above

Temppeliaukio Church / Helsinki, Finland
Temppeliaukio Church, better known as the Rock Church, is a Lutheran church in the Töölö neighborhood of Helsinki. The church was designed by architects and brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen, and opened in 1969. The interior was excavated and built into the rock, but is bathed in natural light entering through the glazed dome (above). The church is used frequently as a concert venue due to its excellent acoustics - with the acoustic quality ensured by the rough, virtually unworked, rock surfaces. It was also a great venue for photography - and one of few churches that actually encourage you to shoot away.

we have-a bananas today

18 Carerra / Santa Marta, Colombia
Santa Marta is located on the northern Colombia coast of the Caribbean sea and backdropped by the beautiful Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. I was particularly looking forward to revisiting Santa Marta as I had been there a number of times back in the mid-90's for business purposes (not what you're thinking). The city was vaguely as I remembered - hot, dry, somewhat dirty, and with lots of people going about their daily lives - not a tourist town. As obvious from the above photo, there were lots of fresh fruit vendors which reminded me not to eat fruit off the streets unless you can fully peel it - and even then.

ing forward

Dózsa György Street / Budapest, Hungary
Architecturally, this is about as modern as it gets in Budapest. While socialism still has a strong grip on the mindset of the city, ING bank took a step forward with the design of its headquarters building across from Városliget City Park and the vast and empty Square of Heroes. The kinetic movement of the exterior glass, aluminum, and stainless steel components has served as an icon for a new era in Hungarian architecture.

domaclature III

Iglesia de San Pedro Claver / Cartagena, Colombia
San Pedro Claver Corberó was a Jesuit who, due to his remarkable life and work, became the patron saint of slaves of Colombia and of African Americans. He was beatified July 16, 1850 by Pope Pius IX and canonized January 15, 1888 by Pope Leo XIII. San Pedro Claver died in 1654 in Cartagena where he spent most of his life dedicated to the abolition of slavery. Cartagena de Indias was an important port in the slave trading business with many coming from Africa and then sold into slavery. The cathedral, which has this beautiful dome centered over the intersection of the nave and the transept, houses the bones of San Pedro Claver in a glass coffin in full view under the altar - a somewhat gruesome toothless skull and draped skeletal frame.

for dinner .. again???

Central Market on De Ruyterkade / Willemstad, Curaçao
While wandering around the circular public market in downtown Willemstad, I couldn't help but wonder if a pig can still smell without his snout? OK - I've seen pig's knuckles and ears - but these are the first snouts I've seen. Apparently, you deep fry them and serve them up with sauces. Think what more appetizing of a dish Mom could put on the table but pig snouts with some sort of delicious sauce dripping from its nostrils. Seconds please!

happy [heart] day

Banks of the River Usk / Llanhamlach, Wales
Walking along the banks of the River Usk last summer, I happened upon these beautiful but deadly digitalis purpurea, otherwise known as Purple Foxglove or Ladysglove. Due to the presence of the cardiac glycoside digitoxin, the leaves, flowers and seeds of this plant are all poisonous to humans and some animals and can be potentially fatal. Extracted from the leaves, this same compound, whose clinical use was pioneered as digitalis by William Withering in the late 1700's, is used as a medication for heart failure causing the heart to beat more strongly. He also recognized that it reduced "dropsy", now known as edema or an abnormal accumulation of fluids beneath the skin. Fortunately, his patients began vomiting violently within minutes of ingestion which prevented "most" of them from consuming a fatal dose.

straight up

Stockholm Palace / Stockholm, Sweden
The Stockholm Palace (Stockholms slott) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch, Carl XVI Gustaf and the royal family. The palace has 609 rooms and is one of the largest royal palaces in the world still in use for its original purpose. Stockholm Palace is located on Stadsholmen in the Old Town area of the capital city. It was incredibly cold when we were in Stockholm and I suspect that this poor guy was frozen into his vertical position. Nonetheless, he made for a nice composition.

gentrified dungeons

Las Bóvedas / Cartagena, Colombia
Las Bóvedas, or dungeons, are strategically located between the forts of Santa Clara and Santa Catalina. They are considered to be the last major construction project during the colonization of the walled city of Cartagena. The structure, built between 1792 and 1796, has 47 arches and 23 vaults and was originally designed for munitions storage but is better known for its use as dungeon cells during the Spanish Inquisition which gripped Cartagena de Indias until the early 19th century. Las Bóvedas has recently been restored and now serves as retail space for handcrafts, antiques, bars and galleries.

gaelic glory

Ballintoy Parish Church / Ballintoy (Balle an Tuaigh), Northern Ireland
Set along the picturesque north Antrim coast and looking out over Ballintoy Harbor, the Ballintoy Parish Church currently serves a community of about 250 Church of Ireland parishioners. Ballintoy is located about 1km from the harbor, a small fishing village at the end of a very small, narrow, steep road down Knocksaughey Hill which passes by the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. The rope suspension bridge is taken down every November and put back up the following March (due to weather), linking the mainland to the tiny Carrick Island.

no. 2 urchin

Espanola Island / Galapagos Islands
Walking the beach of Espanola Island, I came upon this spiny pencil sea urchin "has been". Looks to me like an overused ashtray - place your butts here, please.

waddling back home

Portobello (Otago Peninsula) / New Zealand
I'm back - alittle bit bigger - but well rested and tanned. I've always heard what an eating orgy cruise ships are but until you've experienced it, it is hard to imagine the amounts of food available 24/7. After the first two days, I quickly realized what the end result might be so I paced myself better and decided to make healthier eating choices. It's all good. The weather was fantastic - very hot days full of nothing but sunshine.

through the church gate

Church of St Peter and St Illtyd / Llanfrynach, Wales
The church of St Illtyd and St Peter at Llanhamlach lies on the eastern side of the River Usk, about 5km downstream from Brecon, an historic market town dating back to the 11th century. The church tower is attributed to the 14th century but the rest of the building was comprehensively restored in 1887. We came upon the church while taking an afternoon walk from Peterstone Court, a beautiful country inn and spa that we stayed at this past summer.

renaissance reflection

9th Street NW / Washington, DC
A look up from within the courtyard of the Renaissance Hotel on the fringes of Chinatown. We were waiting for a table at a nearby restaurant, The Matchbox - I got antsy and started wandering. Nothing unusual about that.

red light district

Fifth Avenue / New York, New York
The iconic Flatiron Building, originally known as the Fuller Building, is considered to be one of the first skyscrapers ever built. Upon completion in 1902 it was one of the tallest buildings in New York City. The building sits on a triangular island block at 23rd Street, Fifth Avenue, and Broadway, at the northern end of Madison Square Park. The neighborhood around the building is called the Flatiron District after its signature building. That said, what strikes me about this shot is the complete synchronization of the red traffic lights - and corresponding brake lights of the cars.

kiwi sunrise

Lanarch Castle / Dunedin, New Zealand
This was the spectacular view of the Otago Peninsula from our room at Lanarch Castle. The Otago Peninsula is a long, rugged finger of land that forms the easternmost part of Dunedin, New Zealand. Volcanic in origin, it forms one wall of the collapsed crater that now forms Otago Harbour, part of which you can see on the left side. The peninsula lies due east of Otago Harbour and runs parallel to the mainland for approximately 30 km. The peninsula is home to many species of wildlife and ecotourism is an increasingly important part of its economy. This is where you will find the rarest of penguins, the yellow-eyed.

domeclature II

Church of St Peters and St Pauls / Krakow, Poland
Located along the Royal Route (Droga Królewska) in the Old Town area of Krakow, St Peters and St Pauls is a grand 17th century Baroque structure modeled after Rome's del Gesu. I have always been fascinated by domed structures, particularly from the interior. This one was magnificent.

swept away

ICEHOTEL / Jukkasjärvi, Sweden
Suite 320 of the 2007/2008 ICEHOTEL. Now in its 19th year, the ICEHOTEL is an annual construction feat using nothing more than the snowflakes that fall to the ground and ice carved out of the nearby River Torne - incorporating the expertise and experience of builders, designers and artists from around the world. From start to finish, the ICEHOTEL takes approximately six weeks to create with each year bringing a completely new design. This room was designed by two artists from Bulgaria; one a sculptor and the other an architect. A truly amazing experience.

horizontal tonality

Hilton Barbados / Needham Point, Barbados
Some shots work much better than others in black & white - I think this one works well. We had just arrived in Barbados for a week of sailing on a tall ship through the Grenadines and were staying at the Hilton the night before boarding. An incredible storm swept through not long after I took this shot.

vegetarians are sexy?

Hester Street / New York, New York
NBC pulled the plug on a PETA pro-veggie commercial planned for the Super Bowl because it "depicts a level of sexuality exceeding our standards," according to an NBC Universal's advertising standards executive. The ad, which carries the tagline, "Studies Show Vegetarians Have Better Sex," shows lingerie-clad women getting "intimate" with vegetables. Perhaps PETA should have lined these experienced guys up instead.

we're waiting for you

Peters Island / Caribbean Ocean
By the time this post hits my blog today, we will be on our way to a week in the Dutch Antilles - my first big cruise ship adventure - woo hooo. Itinerary is: Panama - Colombia - Aruba - Curaçao - Bonaire - Panama. Fortunately, these two little fellas are holding the boat for us. If all goes well, new postings should appear every day automatically - if not, I will be back.

decaying beauty

San Telmo / Buenos Aires, Argentina
As one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, San Telmo was inhabited by the wealthiest families of Buenos Aires until the early 1870's Yellow Fever epidemic forced those who could afford to move North. With the passing of time, San Telmo's appearance has changed and it has now become one of the trendier neighborhoods for the arts. It is a great neighborhood of colonial buildings and narrow, stone paved streets; perfect for walking with lots of coffee shops, tango and jazz clubs - and antiques. Every Sunday there is an open air antiques market where, as we did, you can spend endless amounts of time wandering through the vendors capturing glimpses of a Buenos Aires past.

truth in labeling

Puke Pub / Pukekura, New Zealand
Pukekura is a small place: it has a population of two. Peter and Justine Salter claim to be mayor and mayoress, law enforcement officers, cook and cleaner, gardener and rubbish man of their tiny township in the middle of the bush on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island. The Salters are also owners of the Puke Pub (Puke rhymes with cookie) which specializes in local wild food. It would appear that the Salters also like their guests to know exactly what they’re eating and are true to the core in labeling ingredients. I'll take that with a glass of opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of your cow out back, thanks.

evening reflection

Gapstow Bridge in Central Park / New York, New York
The Gapstow Bridge, located in the center of the Park opposite 62nd Street, is a Central Park icon. It spans the northeast end of the Pond and provides an excellent viewing point looking back at the mid-town and east-side skyline. The original bridge was built of wood in 1874 but barely lasted 20 years. It was then replaced by a stone bridge which continues to serve Park visitors today.

why go bald

South Great Georges Street / Dublin, Ireland
A landmark well-known to Dubliners since the 1960's, this city centre neon sign, which had been destined for demolition was restored in 1999 to its former glory. It was about to be removed and dumped when a group of preservationists pushed for its restoration instead. The classic retro sign has since appeared in the films "A Man of No Importance" and "Educating Rita". It is apparently Bono's (U2) favorite Dublin landmark - but based on the many photos of Bono, it wouldn't appear he's a client - or at least not for hair loss.

monday is market day

El Mercado / Quito, Ecuador
We spent a morning wandering around the enormous outdoor markets just outside of Quito. There was an abundance of woolen and other fabric goods, as well as fresh produce and meats - lots of raw meats just hanging in the open air. It was a warm day - I can only imagine what bonus bacteria came along with it. I suppose if you've been eating it all your life, no worries - but not for this gringo. We went for the panama hats instead.

czech your roof

Petřín Hill / Prague, Czech Republic
Petřín is a hill in the center of Prague that rises some 130 m above the left bank of the Vltava River. The hill, almost entirely covered with parks, is a favorite recreational area for the inhabitants of Prague. If you go up the hard way (like we did), the hill is roughly a half-hour walk up a zig zag of stone steps that get quite slippery when wet. But it was worth it as the views looking out over Prague were phenomenal.

winter pastel

Birmingham Canal Main Line / Birmingham, England
As I've blogged before, the canal lines in Birmingham are delightful to walk on those rare winter days of clear skies. The miles of remaining towpaths make for scenic walking paths through both city and country. The Birmingham Main Line, designed by Thomas Telford and built in the 1770's, runs through the heart of the Black Country including city centre Birmingham. The Main Line runs straight as an arrow to Tipton before heading off to Wolverhampton, shortening the previous route to Birmingham - Wolverhampton route by over seven miles. And does Birmingham really have more miles of canal than Venice? The exact numbers depend on where you draw the city boundaries, but the whole Birmingham Canal system extends for over 100 miles in total. It is indeed one of the most intricate canal networks in the world.

park this way

Lafayette Street / New York, New York
Just arrived home from 3-plus weeks in Birmingham, England - working late nights and every weekend. So this weekend I'm parking - with no plans other than dinner tonight at one of my favorite restaurants in Hells Kitchen, Chelsea Grill - and sleeping in! My new 24" iMac arrived while I was gone so I've just set it up (gotta love a mac - plug it in and go). Having all of this screen real estate will be awesome for my photography work - looking forward to it.

audible cubism

The House on the Rock / Spring Green, Wisconsin
Last Fall we visited the House on the Rock, an amazing combobulation that has less to do with a house or a rock, but a lot to do with what's inside the house on the rock such as music machines, sea monsters, carousels and excess amounts of schlock. This music machine reminded me of Picasso in his cubist period (1909-1912) - think Violin and Grapes.

a vampire weekend

Bran Castle / Bran (Brasov), Romania
Based on a online travel article I read yesterday, Bran Castle which is located outside of Brasov, is one of the ten most beautiful castles in the world. Both the keepers of Bran Castle and the Romanian Tourist Board are keen to emphasize links between Bran Castle and Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Count Dracula. While the connections are tenuous (Vlad may have spent a night or two there at best), there's no denying the spooky charm of this massive structure's many turrets and towers. After several days of dreary November greyness, it turned into a brilliant day for vampire overload in the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania. And four of the other top-rated castles are here in the UK; which I hope to visit if I ever get a work-free weekend!

on this day

Giants Causeway / County Antrim, Northern Ireland
I just finished watching the inauguration of our 44th President, Barak Hussein Obama, on BBC here in England. Once again, I feel the rock strength of being an American.

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics."

The inspired word of President Obama is only the first of many steps towards healing the scars inflicted over the past eight years, both domestically and around the world. And Aretha, loved the hat. (update: best line I've read regarding such.. "I'm proud that Aretha is supporting renewable energy by wearing a wind turbine on her head")

harmonic convergence

Dame Street / Dublin, Ireland
This is the "Crann an Óir", otherwise known as the Tree of Gold, a well known sculpture by Eamonn O'Doherty located on the plaza in front of the Central Bank of Ireland. I was not attracted to it so much for its own appearance (the globe form actually sits of top of a rather narrow greenish pole and looks like an over sized lollipop) but more for how the geometric form, color, and texture of the sculpture converged with the clean angular lines of the Central Bank in the background.

worker bee

Morningside Park / New York, New York
My life of late - the role of a good little worker bee. Going on the 3rd weekend is a row that I've been in the office working away. After spending all day yesterday in Dublin at a public meeting, I arrived back into Birmingham late last night. To bed and up and at 'em early this morning for another day in the office. Fortunately for me it's winter - as the life span of a worker bee in the winter months is 4-6 months as opposed to the warmer months where it is 28-35 days.

hallelujah

St. Stephens Green / Dublin, Ireland
Man's best friend - the dog - serves many purposes. In this case (no pun intended), it is keeping the cash warm, secure and from being blown away by the occasional gust of wind. The (I'm sure intentional) cuteness factor of the entire scene also was helping earnings. It was working - hey, I threw in 2 euros and gave the pup a scratch. The extra euro was because the guy actually had a good voice - and was singing Hallelujah - a song which has special meaning to me and made me miss someone special.

barra an teampaill

Temple Bar / Dublin, Ireland
From a tourist perspective (and I'm sure my Irish friends will cringe), what could possibly be more Irish than The Temple Bar in Temple Bar. Temple Bar is an area on the south bank of the River Liffey in Dublin city centre. Unlike many of the areas surrounding it, Temple Bar has preserved its medieval street pattern, with many narrow cobbled streets. It is promoted as "Dublin's cultural quarter" and is filled with boutiques, restaurants and a lively pub nightlife that is particularly popular with tourists. In 2005, visiting American rocker Aimee Mann when visiting Temple Bar described her shock at encountering "overflowing pubs, drunks, urine stains and pools of vomit". Enough said.. cheers!

smooth landing

Sonora Desert / Tucson, Arizona
Heading back to Dublin this afternoon for a couple days of work. Hoping for an equally smooth landing into Dublin City airport.

no cheeseburger in paradise

Outside the New York Bar / Bequia, The Grenadines
Not sure what prompted the altercation but we were sitting on the patio of the New York Bar drinking far too much Sunset VSR when suddenly this woman (who obviously carries the clout - and the shout) took a swing at her man.. in the middle of the road. Traffic came to a halt; both motorized and man-powered, to witness the bout. The VSR won as I don't recall how it ended.

tranquility

Somewhere in the Lesser Antilles / Caribbean Sea
After a very long and at times frantic weekend of work, yesterday I slept til noon, did some shopping and generally just relaxed. It was nice. Today it's back to the grind.

back.. and bigger than ever

Broadway / New York, New York
Pink plastic flamingos, one of the most famous of lawn ornaments, have apparently reached the heights of New York fashion with a prominent position in this Forever 21 window front. Because you want to know - the pink flamingo was designed in 1957 by Don Featherstone while working for Union Products in Leominster, MA and won him the Ig Nobel Prize for Art in 1996. Sadly, Union Products stopped production of pink flamingos in November 2006. However, a company in upstate NY purchased the copyright and plastic molds of Featherstone's original plastic flamingos in 2007, and has begun production of them - apparently larger than life.

sunday finery

Old Town / Bucharest, Romania
Who says Romania is not a happening place? This colorful couple were out early in their Sunday best bringing a unique vibrancy to Old Town Bucharest. Either that or they were walking home after a very late Saturday night spent in the edgy clubs which populate the Old Town area - a more likely scenario. Either way, I like it.

fast forward

Tobago Cays / Southern Grenadines
This is about as far from my reality this weekend as I can get. Working long hours and looking out the windows at a typical grey, rainy and cold English winter day. However.. three weeks from today we will depart for a week in the Netherlands Antilles. Fast forward, please.

perforated sunshine

Wharf Street Docks / Port Douglas (Queensland), Australia
Used to help protect from the intense sun, these perforated metal awning covers were much appreciated as we waited on the docks to depart for a day of diving at the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world. It is composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 1,600 miles over an area of 133,000 square miles and can be seen from outer space. Port Douglas, located on the coast of tropical Queensland, is one of the most popular departure points for exploring the reefs.

fairieland fantasy

Pollywogg Hollër / Belmont, New York
I've posted about Pollywogg Hollër in southwestern New York State several times; a tye-dyed throwback to the 60's with music, art, home-made berry wine and good times scattered through the woods of this privately-owned hang out venue. This fairie, one of many small bisque statuettes that have taken up residence in the surrounding forest, appears to have had a particularly rough night - as if she'd just woken up after one too many drinks and and a good roll in the sack. A good fairie fantasy.

on the move

On The B Line / New York, New York
On the move today. I'm headed to Dublin, Ireland for a meeting this afternoon and then back to Brum later this evening. It's a two minute walk from my apartment to New St Station where I'll jump on the train for a quick 10 minute ride right into Birmingham airport. Like going to JFK only six times faster!

city centroid

Council House on Victoria Square / Birmingham, England

The gilded dome of the Birmingham City Council House sits on Victoria Square and is often referred to as the centroid of Birmingham City Centre. It serves as the point from which local road sign distances are measured. The classical style building was completed in 1879 and has since been expanded several times with the first expansion (1883) designed to include the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery which has the largest collection of works by Edward Jones-Burne in the world. Jones-Burne, a Brum native, was a close associate of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood movement; a group of artists whose intention was to reform art away from the more classical poses and compositions of Raphael and others of his time. And for a bit of personal trivia - according to the small plaque outside my front door, my current apartment here is within the structure designated as the birthplace and childhood home of Edward Jones-Burne.

rainy day blues

British Telecom Tower / Birmingham, England
Just before the holidays, BT announced that it was cutting over 10,000 jobs from its workforce showering rainy day blues onto a number of employees . British telecom is the the privatised UK state telecommunications company and is the dominant provider of landline and broadband services in the UK. BT also operates in over 170 other countries around the globe. The tower was built in 1965 and houses 26 stories of offices and 5 levels of circular galleries at the top. Being among one of the tallest structures in Birmingham, it serves as a local landmark of the skyline.

black hackneys and double deckers

Temple Row / Birmingham, England
I've a feeling I'm not in Kansas anymore. I found myself surrounded by black hackney cabs and red double decker buses - both symbolic to London and other large English cities including Birmingham - when I stepped out to take a brief walk to the grocery store. Oh, and it was snowing.. brrr.

double dose of sunshine

Biosphere 2 / Oracle, Arizona
Today's brilliant weather in Manhattan is similar in sunshine quotient to the day when I took this shot while walking around Biosphere 2, a 3 acre structure originally built as the largest artificial closed ecological system and now operated by the University of Arizona. Though the temperature at Biosphere was about 60 degrees warmer - oh well. Off to Birmingham, UK this afternoon for the month - I'd like to bottle up some of this sunshine to take with me.

expanding waistlines

Kenmare Street (Nolita) / New York, New York
New Years resolution #1 - no more eating. With a houseful for the past week-plus, it has been non-stop eating testing out lots of new recipes. Everyone is happier for it - though several pounds heavier. Speaking of which, this photo was shot during a late night run to Little Italy to satisfy one of the kid's cannoli craving. And of course we had to determine which was better - "the best cannoli on planet earth" vs. "#1 cannoli king" - the cannoli king was a clear winner. Whew - it will be awhile before I hit the Corner Deli which I hear has awesome chicken tacos and hibiscus lemonade on the fly. Mmmmmm.

my morning jacket

From the Skybox @ Madison Square Garden / New York, New York
Midnight mayhem at Madison Square Garden where My Morning Jacket put on an amazing 4 hour show - southern rock is alive and well - an excellent evening of music and fun with family and friends. Happy New Year!!