Tag Archives: statue

Walking On Water in Melbourne, Australia

Photos of the day are from the St. Kilda Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, Australia. This funny statue almost always has a seagull perched on the umbrella that the sculpted man is holding — probably because the ocean is a mere few blocks away!

We might be living in the heart of a large city now, but lovely and historical parks such as this one are a wonderful visual break from all of the shoulder to shoulder buildings. We are also quite lucky because this particular one is less than a 5 minute walk from our house and we stroll through it almost every day.

 

A charming metal sculpture carrying an umbrella and 'walking on water' in front of the glass conservatory at the St. Kilda Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, Australia

A charming metal sculpture carrying an umbrella and ‘walking on water’ in front of the glass conservatory at the St. Kilda Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, Australia


 
Charming metal sculpture 'walking on water' with a seagull perched on his umbrella

Charming metal sculpture ‘walking on water’ with a seagull perched on his umbrella


 

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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.

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.


 

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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.


 

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.


 

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Dali Dreaming

Where did the last 21 days go? I am sitting in my darling apartment in the South of France and as I edit photos, I have just realised that it has been 3 weeks since I took these pictures in the Dali Museum in Figueres, Spain.

The center atrium (more shots in an upcoming article) has the type of feature that reveals the wildly humorous streak which infused Salvadore Dali’s work. A gigantic sculpture of a goddess figure is riding atop a vintage black Cadillac beneath a stunning eye to the sky opening. It is actually breathtaking because it knocks your visual senses off-kilter.
 

A massive statue of a goddess rides atop the roof of a vintage black Cadillac at the Dali Museum in Figueres, Spain.


 

An oculus or eye to the sky hovers above the atrium sculpture garden in Salvadore Dali’s museum in Figueres, Spain.


 

We’re already thinking of our next trip to Spain — but for now, here was how we spent an hour before we went to see the Dali works of art.
 

Mark pouring a glass of wine at lunch in Figueres, Spain.


 

Make sure to come back for more interior and exterior views of the Dali Museum in the coming days.

 

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Photo Of The Day: A Classical Corner

Today’s photo is from a visit to the historical Castle Howard in Yorkshire, England.

This elegant statue, sitting alongside a glowing stained glass window, is in the corner of an art-lined passageway in the castle.
 

Statue and stained glass window in Castle Howard, Yorkshire, England


 

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Photo Of The Day: Is This A Naughty Gnome?

“Is it an elf or a midget or a dwarf or a gnome? What is that bizarre statue downtown? And is it something permanent, or a temporary installation?”

I asked my friend Amalin these questions when we were in Rotterdam and she said that the huge dwarf statue below had been quite controversial when it was installed at the edge of the shopping district and in direct sight of most of the tram lines as they passed on their way into the city.

Apparently almost €300,000 was spent on this work of art by American artist Paul McCarthy and it has been moved several times due to protests by the angry citizens of Rotterdam. The locals have a very rude name for it which you will discover if you click on the highlighted links above!

Controversial gnome sculpture in Rotterdam, Netherdlands

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Germany From Side To Side In One Day

It’s been a BEAR of a day, folks — seriously!

We left our apartment outside Dresden this morning, tried to get on the motorway to start heading southeast, couldn’t get on because the entry ramps were closed for construction, and we started our long day of driving by backtracking until we found an ramp that allowed us onto the motorway.

What should have taken us 7 hours to drive over to Strasbourg, just across the border in France, took almost ten solid hours of driving with two short stops for meals that took less than 20 minutes each time. Know why it took so long? Road construction from East to West all the way across Germany. AARRGGHH!!!

We are beyond tired right now, so don’t expect to see a steady stream of new posts until we get settled into our next 2 week stop in the Pyrenees. I am rather backed up on posts and sending photos to my agencies — so I’ll try to plow through some of the backlog then.

Until then, enjoy this shot of one of the many versions of Berlin’s ‘Buddy Bears’ that you see all over that wonderful city. This particular one was over 2 metres tall, had a rather happy face, and was spectacularly colourful!

Bright red Berlin Bear -- one example of many variations around the city

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