Liberty Enlightening the World, Statue of Liberty (Statue de la Liberté), New York City

This is of course a photo of the Statue of Liberty (French: Statue de la Liberté), officially titled Liberty Enlightening the World (French: La liberté éclairant le monde), is a monument that was presented by the people of France to the United States of America in 1886 to celebrate its centennial. Standing on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, it welcomes visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans traveling by ship. The copper-clad statue, dedicated on October 28, 1886, commemorates the centennial of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence and was given to the United States by France to represent the friendship between the two countries established during the American Revolution. Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi sculpted the statue and obtained a U.S. patent for its structure. Maurice Koechlin—chief engineer of Gustave Eiffel's engineering company and designer of the Eiffel Tower—engineered the internal structure. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was responsible for the choice of copper in the statue's construction and adoption of the repoussé technique, where a malleable metal is hammered on the reverse side.
The statue is of a robed woman holding a torch, and is made of a sheathing of pure copper, hung on a framework of steel (originally puddled iron) with the exception of the flame of the torch, which is coated in gold leaf (originally made of copper and later altered to hold glass panes). It stands atop a rectangular stonework pedestal with a foundation in the shape of an irregular eleven-pointed star. The statue is 46 m tall, but with the pedestal and foundation, it is 93 m tall.
Worldwide, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable icons of the United States and was, from 1886 until the jet age, often one of the first glimpses of the United States for millions of immigrants after ocean voyages from Europe.

There will be more posts to come, some with traditional angles and some with less traditional...

Portrait, Namibia

Perranporth Bay, Cornwall, England

This photo was taken in Perranporth (Porthpyran in Cornish, stands for "Saint Piran's cove", Saint Piran being the patron saint of Cornwall) is a popular surfing tourist destination on the north coast of Cornwall, England, in the UK.
The village, and its large sandy beach, face the Atlantic, with hundreds of miles of uninterrupted fetch producing large waves, making it one of the most popular surfing destinations in Britain, along with neighbouring breaks at Newquay, Chapel Porth and Porthtowan.

Kissing Policemen Stencil by Bansky, Brighton & Pride London 2009

This is a photo of Kissing Policemen Stencil (in Brighton, UK), by Banski, a a pseudo-anonymous English graffiti artist. His artworks are often satirical pieces of art on topics such as politics, culture, and ethics. His street art, which combines graffiti writing with a distinctive stencilling technique, is similar to Blek le Rat, who began to work with stencils in 1981 in Paris and members of the anarcho-punk band Crass who maintained a graffiti stencil campaign on the London Tube System in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His art has appeared in cities around the world. Banksy's work was born out of the Bristol underground scene which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy's stencils feature striking and humorous images occasionally combined with slogans. The message is usually anti-war, anti-capitalist or anti-establishment. Subjects include rats, monkeys, policemen, soldiers, children, and the elderly. Of course such "street art" brings controversy with many poeple and officials that assert that Banksy's work is simple vandalism. To judge by yourself, you can browse some photos of his work on Bansky Offical Website and leave comments to express your view !

I will post other photos of Banski's work later on, but opted for this one as it illustrates well London Gay Pride which will be held in London tomorrow, Saturday 4th of July !

Papaveraceae, Papaver, Poppy

This is a photo of a poppy, belonging to the poppy family or Papaveraceae.

View of Paris from the observation deck of Tour Montparnasse

This photo was taken from the observation deck of the 210-meter tall Tour Montparnasse and shows the southwest part of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower, the business district of La Défense and Les Invalides.

The Policeman And The Baton

This is a photo of some street graffiti poster. If you know the artist's name, I am taker as I could not find out.

Anachronism, Rome Was Not Built In A Day

This photo was taken in Rome - of course.

Street Portrait, Angkor, Cambodia

This photo was taken in Angkor, Cambodia. You can visit more dedicated folders about Cambodia or Portrait.

The Eagles & The Crown : Chrysler Building, Manhattan, New York City

This is a photo of the Chrysler Building, an Art Deco skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan in the Turtle Bay area at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Standing at 319 metres, it was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. After the destruction of the World Trade Center, it was again the second-tallest building in New York City until December 2007, when the spire was raised on the 365.8-metre Bank of America Tower, pushing the Chrysler Building into third position.

The Chrysler Building is a classic example of Art Deco architecture and considered by many contemporary architects to be one of the finest buildings in New York City.

The Chrysler Building was designed by architect William Van Alen to house the Chrysler Corporation. The distinctive ornamentation of the building based on features that were then being used on Chrysler automobiles. The corners of the 61st floor are graced with eagles, replicas of the 1929 Chrysler hood ornaments; on the 31st floor, the corner ornamentation are replicas of the 1929 Chrysler radiator caps. The building is constructed of masonry, with a steel frame, and metal cladding. In total, the building currently contains 3,862 windows on its facade and 4 banks of 8 elevators.

The Chrysler Building is also well renowned and recognized for its terraced crown. Composed of seven radiating terraced arches, Van Alen's design of the crown is a cruciform groin vault constructed into seven concentric members with transitioning setbacks, mounted up one behind each other. The stainless-steel cladding is ribbed and riveted in a radiating sunburst pattern with many triangular vaulted windows, transitioning into smaller segments of the seven narrow setbacks of the facade of the terraced crown.

Street Portrait

Appeal of June 18th, Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970), Statue of Jean Cardot, Paris

This is a photo of the statue of Charles de Gaulle in Paris on the Champs-Elysées, designed by sculptor Jean Cardot, who also made a popular bear-like statue of Sir Winston Churchill (standing 50 metres from the one of De Gaulle).

Charles de Gaulle, (22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces (Forces Françaises Libres, FFL) during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969.
A veteran of World War I, in the 1920s and 1930s de Gaulle came to the fore as a proponent of armored warfare and advocate of military aviation, which he considered a means to break the stalemate of trench warfare. During World War II, he reached the rank of Brigadier General, leading one of the few successful armored counter-attacks during the 1940 Battle of France, and then organized the Free French Forces with exiled French officers in England. He gave a famous radio address on the June 18th 1940 , exhorting the French people to resist Nazi Germany (see translation of the speech at : Appeal of June 18). Following the liberation of France in 1944, de Gaulle became prime minister in the Provisional Government of the French Republic. Although he retired from politics in 1946 due to political conflicts, he was returned to power with military support following the May 1958 crisis. De Gaulle led the writing of a new constitution founding the Fifth Republic, and was elected President of France. As president, Charles de Gaulle ended the political chaos and violence that preceded his return to power. Although he initially supported French rule over Algeria, he controversially decided to grant independence to that country, ending an expensive and unpopular war. A new currency was issued to control inflation and industrial growth was promoted. De Gaulle oversaw the development of atomic weapons and promoted a pan-European foreign policy, seeking to diminish U.S. and British influence; withdrawing France from the NATO military command, he objected to Britain's entry into the European Community and he recognized Communist China. During his term, de Gaulle also faced controversy and political opposition from Communists and Socialists, and a spate of widespread protests in May 1968. De Gaulle retired in 1969, but remains the most influential leader in modern French history.

Manhattan from the "Top of the Rock", New York City

This photo was taken from the "Top of the Rock", the Art Deco GE Building skyscrapper that forms the centrepiece of Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan.

Fraternity

Street Portrait

Fulham Railway Bridge

This photo shows Fulham Railway Bridge; it crosses the River Thames in London and is very close to Putney Bridge, and carries the London Underground District Line between Putney Bridge station on the North, and East Putney station on the South. Fulham Railway Bridge can also be crossed on foot, on the downstream (east) side.
The truss bridge is of lattice girder construction and 418 metres long, with 5 spans totalling 301 metres actually across the river, two further spans on the southern shore, and one on the north. It was designed by Brunel's former assistant William Jacomb, built by Head Wrightson and opened in 1889. See a previous and older post on this bridge using this link.

Flowerbed

"Proudly Brought To You By", Street Portrait

Gruissan, Aude Department, Southwestern France

This photo was taken in the old village of Gruissan, Aude department, in Southwestern France.

Golden Pheasant

This is a photo of a Golden Pheasant, or "Chinese Pheasant", (Chrysolophus pictus) which is a gamebird of the order Galliformes (gallinaceous birds) and the family Phasianidae. It is native to forests in mountainous areas of western China but feral populations have been established in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

The Caroussel

The Glass of Rosé Wine

A Rosé wine (From French: rosé, ‘pinkish’) has some of the color typical of a red wine, but only enough to turn it pink. The pink color can range from a pale orange to a vivid near-purple, depending on the grapes and wine making techniques. There are three major ways to produce rosé wine :

• Skin Contact : the first is used when rosé wine is the primary product. Red-skinned grapes are crushed and the skins are allowed to remain in contact with the juice for a short period, typically two or three days. The grapes are then pressed, and the skins are discarded rather than left in contact throughout fermentation (as with red wine making). The skins contain much of the strongly flavored tannin and other compounds, which leaves the taste more similar to a white wine. The longer that the skins are left in contact with the juice, the more intense the color of the final wine
• Saignée : Rosé wine can be produced as a by-product of red wine fermentation using a technique known as Saignée, or bleeding the vats. When a winemaker desires to impart more tannin and color to a red wine, some of the pink juice from the must can be removed at an early stage. The red wine remaining in the vats is intensified as a result of the bleeding, because the volume of juice in the must is reduced, and the must involved in the maceration is concentrated. The pink juice that is removed can be fermented separately to produce rosé.
• Blending : the simple mixing of red wine to a white to impart color, is uncommon. This method is discouraged in most wine growing regions.

Regardign Blending, there is currently a European Union scheme to allow a blend of red and white wines to be sold as rose. An overwhelming majority of French consumers are strongly opposed to this scheme. In France rosé is traditionally produced by leaving crushed red grapes to soak with macerating white grapes. But New World winemakers in Australia, South Africa and elsewhere have produced cheaper rosés by blending white and red roses. The European Commission, which is due to finalise reforms of the EU wine labelling system in June, has offered to compromise by giving French rosé wines a special designation to distinguish them from blended wines...

Egyptian Hieroglyphs, British Museum, London

This photo was taken in the British Museum in London, which houses the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of Egyptian antiquities outside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. A collection of immense importance for its range and quality, it includes objects of all periods from virtually every site of importance in Egypt and the Sudan. Together they illustrate every aspect of the cultures of the Nile Valley (including Nubia), from the Predynastic Neolithic period (c. 10,000 BC) through to the Coptic (Christian) times (12th century AD), a time-span over 11,000 years.

Egyptians hieroglyphs (from Greek ἱερογλύφος "sacred carving") was a formal writing system used by the ancient Egyptians that contained a combination of logographic and alphabetic elements. Egyptians used cursive hieroglyphs for religious literature on papyrus and wood.

The Bar, Hanway Street, London

This photo was taken in Hanway Street in London.

Albert Bridge, London

This is a photo of Albert Bridge, a road bridge spanning the River Thames between Chelsea and Battersea in London, named in memory of Prince Albert of Saxw-Coburg-Gotha, Prince Consort to Queen Victoria. The bridge opened first on 31 December 1872 but closed again shortly after, to re-open on 23 August 1873. The designer was Rowland Mason Ordish, who conceived a rigid suspension bridge with a length of 216.4 m, width of 12.5 m and a centre span of 121.9 m. In 1884 Sir Joseph Bazalgette strengthened and modernised Albert Bridge, rendering it more like a conventional cable-stayed bridge. The bridge came close to being replaced after the Second World War, but a concerted campaign led by, among others, Sir John Betjeman led to its conservation. In the 1970s, central supports were added by the Greater London Council to save the structure from collapse. Weight restrictions have been in place since Bazalgette's time, as have notices requiring soldiers (such as those from nearby Chelsea Barracks) to break step when marching over the bridge for fear that mechanical resonance or other effects might damage the structure. The bridge was given protection as a Grade II* listed structure in 1975.

Charles Darwin 2.2-tonne Marble Statue by Sir Joseph Boehm. 2009 Commemorations.

This is a photo of the 2.2-tonne marble statue of Charles Darwin, located at the top of the main staircase in the London Natural History Museum's iconic Central Hall. The statue was created by Sir Joseph Boehm and was unveiled on 9 June 1885. In 1927 it was moved to make way for an Indian elephant specimen, and then moved again in 1970 to the North Hall.
The statue has recently returned to its original prime position, in time for the anniversary of Darwin's birth 200 years ago, and for the start of the programme of Darwin200 events.

Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist who realised and presented compelling evidence that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors, through the process he called natural selection. The fact that evolution occurs became accepted by the scientific community and much of the general public in his lifetime, while his theory of natural selection came to be widely seen as the primary explanation of the process of evolution in the 1930s, and now forms the basis of modern evolutionary theory. In modified form, Darwin’s scientific discovery is the unifying theory of the life sciences, providing logical explanation for the diversity of life.

Valldemossa, Majorca

This photo was taken in Valldemossa (in Catalan) or Valldemosa (in Spanish), village on the island of Majorca, Balearic Islands.
Valldemossa is famous for one landmark: the Royal Charterhouse of Jesus of Nazareth, built from the first years of the 14th century, when the mystic and philosopher Ramon Llull lived in this area of Majorca.
In the 1830s the Spanish government confiscated monasteries, and the historic estate was sold to private owners, who have since hosted some prominent guests. These have included the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin and the French writer and pioneering feminist George Sand (who wrote a notable account of A Winter in Majorca, describing their 1838–39 visit and praising the island's natural beauty but criticizing what she perceived as the prejudice and vices of the natives).
Later the Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío was host of the Sureda y Montaner families who own the Chartreuse estate. To fight his own nightmares Rubén Darío would sleep in monk habits, however his drinking habits caused a rift with his private hosts and thus his departure from the former monastery and from Majorca.
Also Jorge Luis Borges lived in the town with his parents and his sister Norah, after the First World War let them free from their refuge in Geneva. Borges passionate friendship with the young artist Jacobo Sureda Montaner, son of the painter Pilar Montaner, was decisive for Borges writing mainly in Spanish.
Since the XIX century Valldemossa was promoted internationally as a beautiful spot thanks to the affection of a distinguished traveller and cultural writer, the Austrian Archduke Ludwig Salvator.

Traeth Benar, Morfa Dyffryn Beach, Snowdonia National Park, Wales

This photo was taken in Traeth Benar, Morfa Dyffryn Beach, on the west coast of Wales, between Barmouth and Harlech in Gwynedd and within boundaries of Snowdonia National Park

Benar beach consists of four miles of sand dunes, with much conservation interest. Inland from the beach are the rugged Rhinog mountains.

Street Portrait

School For Children Of Cambodia (SCC)

This is a photo was taken in a Cambodian village.

Schools For Children of Cambodia (SCC) is a UK registered charity that partners with local communities to improve access and quality of basic education in Cambodia. SCC believes that every child, both girls and boys, rich and poor, has the right to a free, good-quality education.

The Hammer And Sickle

This photo was taken during a demonstration and is a closeup of a flag with the Hammer and Sickle. The hammer and sickle is a part of communist symbolism and its usage indicates an association with Communism, a Communist Party, or a Communist state. It features a hammer superimposed on a sickle, or vice versa. The two tools are symbols of the industrial proletariat and the peasantry; placing them together symbolises the unity between industrial and agricultural workers. This emblem was made during the Bolshevik Revolution.
It is best known from having been incorporated into the red flag of the Soviet Union, along with the Red Star. It has also been used in other flags and emblems.

In countries that were formerly within the Soviet Union's sphere of influence, the Hammer and Sickle and the Red Star are regarded by some citizens as occupation symbols. Accordingly, the Republic of Hungary, Latvia, and Lithuania banned the symbols' public usage. A similar law was considered in Republic of Estonia, but eventually failed in a parliamentary committee as too onerous for constitutionally guaranteed freedoms, most importantly, freedom of speech.

Eastbourne Pier, WKD National Poster Campaign

This is a photo of an old WDK national poster campaign found on a wall of Eastbourne pier.
WDK Original Vodka is a brand of Alcopop. It is sold and heavily marketed in the United Kingdom with the slogan ‘Have you got a WKD side?’ (Have you got a wicked side?).
WKD Vodka has been heavily promoted in the UK. Promotion includes a TV advertising campaign, a national poster campaign, scoreboard sponsorship at Premiership football clubs, giving out samples in bars and clubs, sponsorship, and student tours. Their catchphrase is "Have you got a WKD side?" was launched in 2000 and hit TV screens in 2001. The TV adverts feature men pulling pranks or behaving in a strange or selfish manner for the beverage.
Along with several other alcopop or RTD producers, WKD have been accused by the UK UK ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) of using advertising which was likely to appeal to under-18s, resulting in some of their TV adverts being banned.

Wat Phra Kaew, Temple of the Emerald Buddha (วัดพระแก้ว), Bangkok

This photo was taken within Wat Phra Kaew (the Temple of the Emerald Buddha - วัดพระแก้ว), regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple (wat) in Thailand. It is located in the historic center of Bangkok (district Phra Nakhon), within the grounds of the Grand Palace.

Angel Of Peace, Bronze Quadriga, Wellington Arch, London

This is a closeup photo of the the bronze quadriga of the Wellington Arch. Also known as Constitution Arch or (originally) the Green Park Arch, it is a triumphal arch located to the south of Hyde Park in central London. The arch, and Marble Arch to the north of Hyde Park, were both planned in 1825 by George IV to commemorate Britain's victories in the Napoleonic Wars. The Wellington Arch was also conceived as an outer gateway to Constitution Hill and therefore a grand entrance into central London from the west.
The Wellington Arch was built between 1826-1830. In 1846 the Arch was selected as a suitable location for a statue of Sir Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, soldier and Prime Minister. The statue by Matthew Cotes Wyatt which eventually crowned the arch was 8.5m high, the largest equestrian figure ever made. It was so enormous that it generated considerable controversy at the time.
In 1882-3, the arch was moved a short distance to its present location on Hyde Park Corner to facilitate a road widening scheme. It is today in the centre of a large traffic island.
The equestrian statue of the Duke was removed to Aldershot at the same time and was eventually replaced, in 1912, by a huge bronze quadriga. The sculpture depicts the angel of peace descending on the chariot of war. The face of the charioteer leading the quadriga is that of a small boy (actually the son of Lord Michelham, the man who funded the sculpture). The statue is the largest bronze sculpture in Europe.

Nant Gwynant Valley and Llyn Gwynant Lake, Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)

This is a photo of the Nant Gwynant Valley (looking west down the pass towards Llyn Gwynant lake), in Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri), Wales.

The English name for the area derives from Snowdon, which is the highest mountain in Wales at 1,085 metres.

Street Portrait

Carcassonne

This is a photo of Carcassonne, a fortified French town in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It is separated into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. The folk etymology – involving a châtelaine named Carcas, a ruse ending a siege and the joyous ringing of bells ("Carcas sona"), though memorialized in a neo-Gothic sculpture of Mme. Carcas on a column near the Narbonne Gate – is of modern invention. The fortress, which was thoroughly restored in 1853 by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.

I recommend two stunning photos that will allow you to see a panaoramic view of the fortress by clicking on following two links here and there.

The Heech, Parviz Tanavoli, Fibreglass, 2001

This is a photo of a sculpture from Parviz Tanavoli (Fibreglass, 2001), created around three letters in Persian which together make up the word heech meaning 'nothing'. The style of the script is nasta'liq traditionally associated with Iran and often used to write poetry.

Tanavoli is Iran's most foremost sculptor. He trained in Italy with the celebrated Italian sculptor Marino Marini. He has taught and inspired many Iranian artists and his work is exhibited widely. The Heech although playful, hints a sense of dissatisfaction with the present world.

On The Beat, 22 Hanway Street, Bloomsbury, London

This photo was taken on 22 Hanway Street, Bloomsbury in London. On The Beat is fantastic record shop hidden down London's little Spanish hideaway Hanway Street, where you can find collectors records and memorabilia.

Friends