Cape Sounion~

On June 3, 2017June 3, 2017 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS196 Comments

Cape Sounion, the southern tip of The Attica Peninsula in Greece, is the site of the stunning Temple of Poseidon built-in 440 BC on top of an earlier temple destroyed in a prior war.

Archeological finds at The Cape date from as early as 700 BC.

According to Greek Mythology, Poseidon God of the Sea, was second in importance only to Zeus, the supreme Deity. For an ocean reliant society like Ancient Greece, the God of the Sea, controller of storms and shipwrecks, was critically important to appease. This temple was the site of many ceremonies in Poseidon’s honor, often attended by entire city states, that sometimes included animal sacrifice.

The temple stands 200 feet above the sea, is rectangular in shape, and originally had 34 columns, supporting an exterior colonnade on all four sides.

A 20 foot tall statue of Poseidon stood inside the structure made of bronze and covered in gold leaf.

Lord Byron made at least two trips to The Temple, reportedly signed his name at the base, and mentioned it in his poem, The Isles of Greece:

“Place me on Sunium’s marbled steep,
Where nothing, save the waves and I,
May hear our mutual murmurs sweep;
There, swan-like, let me sing and die:”

Sounion is an upscale summer home location for Athenians, with some of the most expensive real estate in Greece, some villas reportedly worth 20 million or so euros. The town is lovely, with quiet beaches, quaint restaurants, and a variety of wonderful places to stay, that thankfully are not as expensive as the surrounding real estate.

We are home at The Holler now, and I am posting at home about places we visited on our last trip, so it is still:
Cheers to you from beautiful Cape Sounion & Poseidon’s Ancient Temple~

For more info see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sounion

Heidelberg Reflected~

On May 13, 2017 By cindy knokeIn EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS240 Comments

on the mirrored face,

of the river Neckar,

as sunlight fades,

in a peaceful town,

in Germany.

Cheers to you from Heidelberg at Sunset~

Venice Reflected~

On May 7, 2017May 8, 2017 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS265 Comments

Oh Venice, you are so wonderful, and so overcrowded with tourists!

It is hard to fully appreciate you, amongst the hordes.

Avoiding the main tourist draws is the only way to be alone in Venice, and it is still quite a challenge to find quiet spots.

We were here in the first week in April and the crowds were significantly problematic. I can only imagine summertime.

I would recommend visiting Venice, if you want to, in the off-off season.

Several years ago we visited in winter and there were no crowds, even in Piazza San Marco. It is also much less expensive.

It is cold in winter, but so lovely to see Venice as she should be seen, in all her solitary glory, with locals who are actually happy to see you.

Cheers to you from amazing, but crowded Venice~

Blumen Baden~

On April 28, 2017 By cindy knokeIn EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN, Flowers, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS282 Comments

Baden-Baden’s spring bloom is just beginning.

The tulips on the Lichtenthaler Alle,

a strolling avenue and park,

that follows the River Oos,

are beginning their splendid spring bloom.

The park,

created in the 19th century,

is a wonderland of exotic plants and flowers.

Cheers to you from Baden-Baden’s glorious alle~

Kayserberg in Alsace~

On April 18, 2017 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS232 Comments

seems to be a magical,

hobbit Village,

where Bilbo Baggins,

will appear,

around a corner.

A Tolkien world,

you never want to leave.
Cheers to you from Kayserberg France~

Kotor Montenegro~

On April 5, 2017April 5, 2017 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS247 Comments

If ‘beauty is truth,

and truth beauty,’

both can be most perfectly seen,

in age,

and innocence.

Kotor Montenegro possesses both the beauty of age,

and the appeal of innocence.

It seems unspoiled by the modern world.

Staying here one feels removed from the stress and strife of our messy contemporary lives.

Cheers to you from beautiful Kotor Montenegro~

Palacio Real de La Almudaina~

On March 14, 2017March 14, 2017 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, TRAVEL REVIEWS143 Comments

The Royal Palace of the Almudaina is located on the island of Mallorca in the capital city of Palma. Mallorca is part of the Balearic Island chain located off the coast of Spain.

In 903 AD, Isam Al Jawlani, conquered the Romans who were occupying Mallorca. Moors of Berber and Arabic descent then controlled Mallorca from 903-1229 AD.

They built the Almudaina in the articulated Islamic architectural style of North Africa.

Almudaina consists of two areas, the outer fortress of defensive walls, and the inner fortification which served as residences.

The palace architectural style results in unique and visually stunning interiors and exteriors that are airy and full of light, replete with arches, tile work, exterior corridors, and views of the ocean. Windows were built to take advantage of the ocean views and cool sea air. There is no sense of the dark claustrophobia one can feel in many other castles and fortresses.

The tapestries you are looking at are Flemish from the 16th and 17th centuries. You can see the light and airy interiors that make the palace so inviting.

The Arabs were eventually expelled from Mallorca and in the 14th century the palace became the official residence of The Spanish Royal Family who still use the palace as offices in the summer months.

Artistic details are evident throughout the palace interiors.
Cheers to you from the stunning Palacio Real de La Almudaina~

Land of the Lilliputians~

On November 1, 2016November 1, 2016 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, Tech Marvels, TRAVEL REVIEWS203 Comments

One of the world’s top ten miniature museums is located in Victoria Canada. There are eighty-five exhibits here covering world history, Canadian history, fantasy, fairy tales, and even future space exploration.

I loved the nostalgic look at the circus coming to town!

There are dioramas depicting castles in England,

Germany,

and Canadian cities in the past.

Many exhibits depict the frontier history and development of Canada.

The museum has the world’s smallest working saw-mill which took eleven years to make,

and one of the world’s longest model railways.

These miniature worlds were created by George Devlin over the course of his lifetime. The museum opened in 1971 and George continues to expand it to this day.

Cheers to you from Victoria’s fascinating Lilliputian World~

Glassine Visions~

On October 15, 2016October 16, 2016 By cindy knokeIn EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Tech Marvels, TRAVEL REVIEWS329 Comments

Seattle’s Garden and Glass Museum showcases the magical worlds created by glass artist Dale Chihuly.

Chihuly creates huge glass wonderlands,

resembling hallucinatory under-seascapes,

full of phantasmagorical deep-sea creatures.

Mirrors create reflective visions like crystalline creatures from outer space.

There are magic mushrooms,

glowing like alien forms,

in surreal secret gardens.

Visiting here one feels much like Alice with a two-way ticket to wonderland!
Cheers to you from the inventive worlds of Dale Chihuly~

Ghost Towns of the Wild West~

On August 22, 2016August 22, 2016 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS287 Comments

Bodie is a gold rush era ghost town east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Mono Lake California. In its heyday it was a wild west era boomtown with shoot outs, bar-room brawls, stage-coach robberies, and murders. Dust and mayhem in the old wild west!

It had a jail, saloons, a red light district, and a morgue, everything you needed in the lawless frontier, just like all those western movies we’ve all watched.

Bodie also had a Chinatown with an opium den and Taoist temple. I don’t remember Taoist temples in the old western movies, do you? I guess this doesn’t quite fit with the six-guns and society ethos of those movies.

There was a Catholic and Methodist church, to counteract the lawless ways of the frontier, no doubt.

Bodie was founded in 1859 and at its peak it had a population of almost 10,000 people and around 2000 buildings.

It began to decline as a boomtown in the 1890’s, and became more of a family oriented frontier community.

There was a doctor’s house, a town hall, a couple of hotels, a barber shop and a schoolhouse, and I would imagine much less murder, mayhem, and general excitement.

By 1910 there were 688 people living in Bodie, and by 1915 people started referring to it as a ghost town even though it was inhabited by a few hangers-on until around 1942.

Bodie is now designated as a protected state historical park and is maintained but not improved.

We encountered several wild west ghost towns in the Eastern Sierra, some we found while hiking which were completely unexpected and quite a surprise. Each of them gives you the wonderfully eerie feeling of walking back in dusty time.
Cheers to you from the living ghosts of the old wild west~

Cindy Knoke

Category: EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN

Cape Sounion~

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Heidelberg Reflected~

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Venice Reflected~

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Blumen Baden~

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Kayserberg in Alsace~

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Kotor Montenegro~

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Palacio Real de La Almudaina~

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Land of the Lilliputians~

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Glassine Visions~

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Ghost Towns of the Wild West~

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