Uploads from JoLoLog, with geodata

Excavations 1 - Masada #6

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:55:57 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

A view of the ruins reconstruction on Masada fortification and mountain, Southern Israel

December 16, 2012 • Taken and processed by Moshe
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Photos are © 2005 and on to Lorien, Joe & Moshe, JoLoLog. All rights reserved. You may not download or copy anything from JoLoLog, unless you E-mail us, ask first and get our written permission.
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See it big here!

Guy Stiebel tells us: "Large-scale excavations were conducted at Masada by the Hebrew University expedition, headed by Prof. Yigael Yadin between 1962-1965. The finds of Yadin's excavations made the site known world-wide. After a long break, a short season was conducted in 1989 by Prof. Ehud Netzer and in 1995 the excavations at the site were resumed under the direction of Prof. Ehud Netzer and Guy Stiebel on behalf of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Several seasons were conducted at Masada between 1995 and 2000 in the framework of a governmental development project of Masada. In 2001, UNESCO declared Masada a World Heritage Site.

During the struggle for the throne of Judaea between Matthias Antigonus and Herod, the family of the latter came under siege at Masada in the 40BC. Herod (ruled 37-4 BC) made the site a refuge from his internal and external enemies. During his reign, luxurious palaces were built here in addition to well-stocked storerooms, a developed water system and a casemate wall. After the death of Herod in 4 BC and the annexation of Judaea to the Roman Empire in AD 6, the Romans stationed a garrison at Masada.

Following the outbreak of the First Revolt, Masada was seized by a group of Sicarii who targeted the weapons stored in its magazines. The site became a shelter for rebels and refugees under the command of Eleazar Ben Yair. The composition of the rebels community was heterogeneous, apparently including Essenes and Samaritans as well. The rebels lived in rooms in the casemate wall and clusters of transit camps adjacent to the wall. They constructed ritual buildings, most notably a synagogue and ritual immersion pools. The excavations yielded rare assemblages of culture material attesting to their community life".

Excavations 2 - Masada #7

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:55:58 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Excavations 3 - Masada #8

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:55:59 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

A view of the ruins reconstruction on Masada fortification and mountain, Southern Israel

December 16, 2012 • Taken and processed by Moshe

Explored! Highest position: #208 on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
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Photos are © 2005 and on to Lorien, Joe & Moshe, JoLoLog. All rights reserved. You may not download or copy anything from JoLoLog, unless you E-mail us, ask first and get our written permission.
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See it big here!

Guy Stiebel tells us: "Large-scale excavations were conducted at Masada by the Hebrew University expedition, headed by Prof. Yigael Yadin between 1962-1965. The finds of Yadin's excavations made the site known world-wide. After a long break, a short season was conducted in 1989 by Prof. Ehud Netzer and in 1995 the excavations at the site were resumed under the direction of Prof. Ehud Netzer and Guy Stiebel on behalf of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Several seasons were conducted at Masada between 1995 and 2000 in the framework of a governmental development project of Masada. In 2001, UNESCO declared Masada a World Heritage Site.

During the struggle for the throne of Judaea between Matthias Antigonus and Herod, the family of the latter came under siege at Masada in the 40BC. Herod (ruled 37-4 BC) made the site a refuge from his internal and external enemies. During his reign, luxurious palaces were built here in addition to well-stocked storerooms, a developed water system and a casemate wall. After the death of Herod in 4 BC and the annexation of Judaea to the Roman Empire in AD 6, the Romans stationed a garrison at Masada.

Following the outbreak of the First Revolt, Masada was seized by a group of Sicarii who targeted the weapons stored in its magazines. The site became a shelter for rebels and refugees under the command of Eleazar Ben Yair. The composition of the rebels community was heterogeneous, apparently including Essenes and Samaritans as well. The rebels lived in rooms in the casemate wall and clusters of transit camps adjacent to the wall. They constructed ritual buildings, most notably a synagogue and ritual immersion pools. The excavations yielded rare assemblages of culture material attesting to their community life".

Have yourself a Merry little Christmas

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 23:07:04 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Netofa monastery, Hararit mountain, Lower Galilee, Israel

December 4, 2012 • By Joe

Photos are © 2005 and on to Lorien, Joe & Moshe, JoLoLog. All rights reserved. You may not download or copy anything from JoLoLog, unless you E-mail us, ask first and get our written permission.
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See it big here!

Hello everyone. A quick post just to mention few things. We're celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary today, so it sure is nice to have it here with the family and just enjoy few more hours of sun and great weather *s*.

This will be our last post for 2013, I think, since time is running short on us, and there are not enough hours in a day to make my rounds and leave comments the way I like to leave them. On Saturday morning we'll fly out of Israel to Holland. We'll have another visit with Joe's family, and then, we'll finally go home on December 27th... almost 3.5 months after we left it.

So, we'd like to wish those of you who are getting ready for the big one next week to have a wonderful Merry Christmas, and to every one else as well a wonderful, Happy and Healthy new year. We'll be back as soon as we settle back into life in the frozen prairies of Alberta *s*.

I miss you

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 11:34:06 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

April 11, 2012 • Taken by Lorien

Photos are © 2005 and on to Lorien, Joe & Moshe, JoLoLog. All rights reserved. You may not download or copy anything from JoLoLog, unless you E-mail us, ask first and get our written permission.
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See it big here!

You didn't expect a Rocky Mountains lake photo on this stream today, did you? Admit it... we caught you by surprise here *s*.

Well, I did take some photos with me on the laptop (long story), and today it felt just right to post this one, taken last spring while Lake Louise was still frozen solid, but the weather that day was simply gorgeous. I don't think the lake is frozen right now, still too early, but anyways... here's another one from the most beautiful place on earth *s*.

I must admit... I miss the Rockies. I miss Lake Louise. I'm not sure I miss the cold, but I do miss the beauty of the snow. It's a good thing, though... Don't want to go back home just yet, but know that those things are there, waiting for me to come back for a visit, and I'll be able to enjoy them once again... very soon. All in good time, for now we still have lots of things to enjoy while we're here, and later in Holland.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone... hopefully with not too much bad weather.

Years and wisdom

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 23:02:05 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Tel Aviv port, Mediterranean coast, Tel Aviv, Israel

November 26, 2012 • Taken and processed by Moshe

Explored! Highest position: #194 on Saturday, December 1, 2012

Photos are © 2005 and on to Lorien, Joe & Moshe, JoLoLog. All rights reserved. You may not download or copy anything from JoLoLog, unless you E-mail us, ask first and get our written permission.
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See it big here!

“He always thought of the sea as 'la mar' which is what people call her in Spanish when they love her. Sometimes those who love her say bad things of her but they are always said as though she were a woman. Some of the younger fishermen, those who used buoys as floats for their lines and had motorboats, bought when the shark livers had brought much money, spoke of her as 'el mar' which is masculine. They spoke of her as a contestant or a place or even an enemy. But the old man always thought of her as feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favours, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them. The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought.”
~ Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

Attention - Casa Milà # 10, Antoni Gaudí

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 04:57:15 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Spirituality named Montserrat

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 05:32:07 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

A view point from Montserrat mountain, northwestern Barcelona province, Catalunya, Spain

November 11, 2012 • Taken by Lorien

Photos are © 2005 and on to Lorien, Joe & Moshe, JoLoLog. All rights reserved. You may not download or copy anything from JoLoLog, unless you E-mail us, ask first and get our written permission.
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See it big here!

Hello again, everyone. We're back from our Barcelona adventure, tired but tremendously content. Our visit was filled with some amazing spiritual experiences, coming from both natural and human resources. We sure had our share of awe inspiring moments, and we'd love to share those with you in the upcoming days.

Of course, between us all, we took thousands of photos which need to be looked at, accepted and processed. It'll take us some time, as usual, but we'll get there *s*.

Today's photo is from this amazingly mystical place called Montserrat mountain and monastery. When we arrived there, 800 m above sea level, the mountain was engulfed with low clouds, and this made it all look surrealistic and mystical to the core. Other people in the group were sorry they couldn't take nice photos since there was no sun and too much mist. Joe, Moshe and myself were delightful and smiling. The mood around us was so special, it made us so happy *s*.

Jaffa Sea Scouts

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 03:54:09 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

The harbor, Old Jaffa, Israel

December 9, 2012 • Taken and processed by Moshe

Photos are © 2005 and on to Lorien, Joe & Moshe, JoLoLog. All rights reserved. You may not download or copy anything from JoLoLog, unless you E-mail us, ask first and get our written permission.
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See it big here!

Happy Hanukkah to everyone who celebrates the Holiday of Light this week. For us, it's a first in the Holy land since I moved to Canada. It feels good to light the candles here *s*.

Jaffa is a very old city, some 4,000 years old. One can find all kinds of leftovers there, from different nations that occupied the city along the centuries. The Port of Jaffa claims to be the oldest in the world and according to legend was founded by Japhet, son of Noah, captain of one of the more famous arks in history.

Pharaohs, Caesars, and Kings, all realized the military importance of the area and each conquered it in order to gain control over the Land of Israel. For centuries, control of the area passed from one kingdom to another until Jaffa reaches the Crusader Period (1099-approx 1300) when the port is largely abandoned.

These days, the old harbor makes home for many fishermen boats, private sailing boats and Sea Scouts ones (like those in the photo above). Besides boats, there are all kinds of restaurants there where you can also have a good seafood meal. There's an exhibitions hall, fish market and a long promenade along the Mediterranean shores, where you can ride your bikes, run, stroll... doing fun things.

Yo... what'ya doin'?

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 06:36:01 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Calella, Costa del Maresme, Catalunya, Spain

November 9, 2012 • Taken by Joe

Photos are © 2005 and on to Lorien, Joe & Moshe, JoLoLog. All rights reserved. You may not download or copy anything from JoLoLog, unless you E-mail us, ask first and get our written permission.
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See it big here!

In the commercial center of this small holidays town (where we had our hotel in Spain) of Calella - there was this stand, with all these different dolls with different expressions, colors, races and what not. I don't know why, but I told Joe to take a photo of these dolls, while my camera was in my hands. I think they scared me already then, like they do now... but they also making me laugh... hysterically. Kill me if you will, but you won't see me buying one of these and putting it on a shelf in my room... It might do something while it's dark, no? ;-)).

So something a bit different today from us... Creepy or funny? *s*

Deceiving tranquility

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:34:09 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Mediterranean coast, Netanya, Israel

November 18, 2012 • Taken by Joe

Photos are © 2005 and on to Lorien, Joe & Moshe, JoLoLog. All rights reserved. You may not download or copy anything from JoLoLog, unless you E-mail us, ask first and get our written permission.
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See it big here!

We spent that day with a friend of mine from high school, who lives in Netanya, 30 km north of Tel Aviv. With false calmness in our hearts we took the train to Netanya, and later walked along the Mediterranean coast, enjoying the cool breeze and smoothness of the water.

And then my friend talked to her son in Tel Aviv, who told her there was a rocket shooting earlier that morning towards the city.

And then there was a terror attack on a bus in Tel Aviv earlier today, injuring many.

And now they say there's a cease-fire. So we take out our battered, bruised and shaken hope and start a new term... and so on and so forth...

We're OK... but very tired.

3 bracketed photos combined and toned mapped in Photomatix.

Sensation - Casa Milà # 9, Antoni Gaudí

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 04:57:10 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Intention - Casa Milà # 8, Antoni Gaudí

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 04:57:07 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Framing the street - Casa Milà # 6, Antoni Gaudí

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:52:04 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Descending light - Casa Milà # 5, Antoni Gaudí

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:52:03 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

The gate to originality - Casa Milà # 4, Antoni Gaudí

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:52:02 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Footprints of a genius B&W - Casa Milà # 2, Antoni Gaudí

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:34:54 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Casa Milà,Eixample district, 92 Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain

November 10, 2012 • Taken by Lorien

Photos are © 2005 and on to Lorien, Joe & Moshe, JoLoLog. All rights reserved. You may not download or copy anything from JoLoLog, unless you E-mail us, ask first and get our written permission.
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See it big here!

One question that sits on my mind since we visited Barcelona for the first time is: How come I didn’t know a darn thing about Antoni Gaudí before? Joe says he read about the guy and knew about his architectural projects… I knew nothing!

And I was missing on so much! I’m amazed and in awe since I first saw anything this genius built, and I can’t relax. I feel seeing some of his creations changed a bit of me forever, and I want to try and share it with you, try and show you how much beauty and greatness this man had inside him, and how he graced the world with his creations.

Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926), a Catalan genius, grew up during a time when Catalonia (an autonomous community of Spain, with the official status of a nationality) was rediscovering its glorious past. The period is named la renaixença in Catalan. The use of the word renaissance shows that the people of Catalonia wanted to get back to the greatness of the Catalan middle ages - a time where Catalonia was an independent superpower in the Mediterranean. This came at a time when Catalonia experienced an economic prosperity, which primarily was due to its growing industrialization. The economic and cultural climate created frames that were the perfect conditions for a renewal within the arts and architecture, that goes under the name of Modernism. The greatness of the middle ages and the Gothic architecture were the most important influences for the architects and artists at the end of the 19th century.

Gaudí had a deep appreciation for his native land and great pride in his Mediterranean heritage. He believed Mediterranean people to be endowed with creativity, originality and an innate sense for art and design. Time spent outdoors, particularly during summer stays in the Gaudí family home, afforded Gaudí the opportunity to study nature. Gaudí's enjoyment of the natural world led him to join the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya in 1879 at the age of 27. The organisation arranged expeditions to explore Catalonia and southern France, often riding on horseback or walking ten km a day.

Gaudí studied architecture at the Llotja School and the Barcelona Higher School of Architecture, graduating in 1878. In addition to his architecture classes, he studied French, history, economics, philosophy and aesthetics. When handing him his degree, Elies Rogent, director of Barcelona Architecture School, said: "We have given this academic title either to a fool or a genius. Time will show." Gaudí, when receiving his degree, reportedly told a friend with his ironical sense of humour, "They’re saying I’m an architect now".

Early on, Gaudí was inspired by oriental arts (India, Persia, Japan). Later on, he adhered to the neo-Gothic movement that was in fashion at the time. Eventually, Gaudí embarked on a more personal phase, with the organic style inspired by nature in which he would build his major works. The style that most influenced him was the Gothic Revival. Nonetheless, for Gaudí the Gothic style was "imperfect", because despite the effectiveness of some of its structural solutions it was an art that had yet to be "perfected”.

After these initial influences, Gaudí moved towards Modernism. He’s usually considered the great master of Catalan Modernism, but his works go beyond any one style or classification. They are imaginative works that find their main inspiration in nature. Gaudí studied organic and anarchic geometric forms of nature thoroughly, searching for a way to give expression to these forms in architecture. Some of his greatest inspirations came from visits to nature, like the mountain of Montserrat. It’s easy to understand how nature inspired him there, in this spiritual place, after we visited the area ourselves. You can actually see the mountain in his work.
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The first place we’d like to introduce to you in photos is Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Milà, also known as La Pedrera (The Quarry). In the next few days we’ll post few photos from this enchanted place. Meanwhile, if you have the time and curiosity, you can watch this documentary called “Antoni Gaudí - The Casa Milà” on You Tube.

Casa Milà is to be found in Barcelona, Eixample district, 92 Passeig de Gràcia (Gràcia promenade). This building is a must see place for visitors to the city. This is the culmination of Antoni Gaudí’s career, designed as a modernistic building tailored to the new social needs, without forgetting his main source of inspiration: nature and organic forms.

The Casa Milà’s façade resembles moving sea waves, the waves interacting with the seaweed - those are the motifs on the wrought - iron balcony railings. The large stone blocks are like a type of skin that covers the skeleton of a building, free of load-bearing walls. It was a controversial design at the time.

Architecturally, Casa Milà’s is considered an innovative work for its steel structure and curtain walls - the façade is self - supporting. Other innovative elements were the construction of underground car parking and separate lifts and stairs for the owners and their servants.

In 1984, it was declared World Heritage by UNESCO. The building is made open to the public by the CatalunyaCaixa Foundation, which manages the various exhibitions and activities and visits to the interior and roof.

Footprints of a genius close up - Casa Milà # 3, Antoni Gaudí

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:34:55 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Casa Milà,Eixample district, 92 Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain

November 10, 2012 • Taken by Moshe

Photos are © 2005 and on to Lorien, Joe & Moshe, JoLoLog. All rights reserved. You may not download or copy anything from JoLoLog, unless you E-mail us, ask first and get our written permission.
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See it big here!

One question that sits on my mind since we visited Barcelona for the first time is: How come I didn’t know a darn thing about Antoni Gaudí before? Joe says he read about the guy and knew about his architectural projects… I knew nothing!

And I was missing on so much! I’m amazed and in awe since I first saw anything this genius built, and I can’t relax. I feel seeing some of his creations changed a bit of me forever, and I want to try and share it with you, try and show you how much beauty and greatness this man had inside him, and how he graced the world with his creations.

Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926), a Catalan genius, grew up during a time when Catalonia (an autonomous community of Spain, with the official status of a nationality) was rediscovering its glorious past. The period is named la renaixença in Catalan. The use of the word renaissance shows that the people of Catalonia wanted to get back to the greatness of the Catalan middle ages - a time where Catalonia was an independent superpower in the Mediterranean. This came at a time when Catalonia experienced an economic prosperity, which primarily was due to its growing industrialization. The economic and cultural climate created frames that were the perfect conditions for a renewal within the arts and architecture, that goes under the name of Modernism. The greatness of the middle ages and the Gothic architecture were the most important influences for the architects and artists at the end of the 19th century.

Gaudí had a deep appreciation for his native land and great pride in his Mediterranean heritage. He believed Mediterranean people to be endowed with creativity, originality and an innate sense for art and design. Time spent outdoors, particularly during summer stays in the Gaudí family home, afforded Gaudí the opportunity to study nature. Gaudí's enjoyment of the natural world led him to join the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya in 1879 at the age of 27. The organisation arranged expeditions to explore Catalonia and southern France, often riding on horseback or walking ten km a day.

Gaudí studied architecture at the Llotja School and the Barcelona Higher School of Architecture, graduating in 1878. In addition to his architecture classes, he studied French, history, economics, philosophy and aesthetics. When handing him his degree, Elies Rogent, director of Barcelona Architecture School, said: "We have given this academic title either to a fool or a genius. Time will show." Gaudí, when receiving his degree, reportedly told a friend with his ironical sense of humour, "They’re saying I’m an architect now".

Early on, Gaudí was inspired by oriental arts (India, Persia, Japan). Later on, he adhered to the neo-Gothic movement that was in fashion at the time. Eventually, Gaudí embarked on a more personal phase, with the organic style inspired by nature in which he would build his major works. The style that most influenced him was the Gothic Revival. Nonetheless, for Gaudí the Gothic style was "imperfect", because despite the effectiveness of some of its structural solutions it was an art that had yet to be "perfected”.

After these initial influences, Gaudí moved towards Modernism. He’s usually considered the great master of Catalan Modernism, but his works go beyond any one style or classification. They are imaginative works that find their main inspiration in nature. Gaudí studied organic and anarchic geometric forms of nature thoroughly, searching for a way to give expression to these forms in architecture. Some of his greatest inspirations came from visits to nature, like the mountain of Montserrat. It’s easy to understand how nature inspired him there, in this spiritual place, after we visited the area ourselves. You can actually see the mountain in his work.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The first place we’d like to introduce to you in photos is Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Milà, also known as La Pedrera (The Quarry). In the next few days we’ll post few photos from this enchanted place. Meanwhile, if you have the time and curiosity, you can watch this documentary called “Antoni Gaudí - The Casa Milà” on You Tube.

Casa Milà is to be found in Barcelona, Eixample district, 92 Passeig de Gràcia (Gràcia promenade). This building is a must see place for visitors to the city. This is the culmination of Antoni Gaudí’s career, designed as a modernistic building tailored to the new social needs, without forgetting his main source of inspiration: nature and organic forms.

The Casa Milà’s façade resembles moving sea waves, the waves interacting with the seaweed - those are the motifs on the wrought - iron balcony railings. The large stone blocks are like a type of skin that covers the skeleton of a building, free of load-bearing walls. It was a controversial design at the time.

Architecturally, Casa Milà’s is considered an innovative work for its steel structure and curtain walls - the façade is self - supporting. Other innovative elements were the construction of underground car parking and separate lifts and stairs for the owners and their servants.

In 1984, it was declared World Heritage by UNESCO. The building is made open to the public by the CatalunyaCaixa Foundation, which manages the various exhibitions and activities and visits to the interior and roof.

Footprints of a genius - Casa Milà # 1, Antoni Gaudí

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:34:53 -0800

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Casa Milà,Eixample district, 92 Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain

November 10, 2012 • Taken by Joe

Photos are © 2005 and on to Lorien, Joe & Moshe, JoLoLog. All rights reserved. You may not download or copy anything from JoLoLog, unless you E-mail us, ask first and get our written permission.
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See it big here!

One question that sits on my mind since we visited Barcelona for the first time is: How come I didn’t know a darn thing about Antoni Gaudí before? Joe says he read about the guy and knew about his architectural projects… I knew nothing!

And I was missing on so much! I’m amazed and in awe since I first saw anything this genius built, and I can’t relax. I feel seeing some of his creations changed a bit of me forever, and I want to try and share it with you, try and show you how much beauty and greatness this man had inside him, and how he graced the world with his creations.

Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926), a Catalan genius, grew up during a time when Catalonia (an autonomous community of Spain, with the official status of a nationality) was rediscovering its glorious past. The period is named la renaixença in Catalan. The use of the word renaissance shows that the people of Catalonia wanted to get back to the greatness of the Catalan middle ages - a time where Catalonia was an independent superpower in the Mediterranean. This came at a time when Catalonia experienced an economic prosperity, which primarily was due to its growing industrialization. The economic and cultural climate created frames that were the perfect conditions for a renewal within the arts and architecture, that goes under the name of Modernism. The greatness of the middle ages and the Gothic architecture were the most important influences for the architects and artists at the end of the 19th century.

Gaudí had a deep appreciation for his native land and great pride in his Mediterranean heritage. He believed Mediterranean people to be endowed with creativity, originality and an innate sense for art and design. Time spent outdoors, particularly during summer stays in the Gaudí family home, afforded Gaudí the opportunity to study nature. Gaudí's enjoyment of the natural world led him to join the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya in 1879 at the age of 27. The organisation arranged expeditions to explore Catalonia and southern France, often riding on horseback or walking ten km a day.

Gaudí studied architecture at the Llotja School and the Barcelona Higher School of Architecture, graduating in 1878. In addition to his architecture classes, he studied French, history, economics, philosophy and aesthetics. When handing him his degree, Elies Rogent, director of Barcelona Architecture School, said: "We have given this academic title either to a fool or a genius. Time will show." Gaudí, when receiving his degree, reportedly told a friend with his ironical sense of humour, "They’re saying I’m an architect now".

Early on, Gaudí was inspired by oriental arts (India, Persia, Japan). Later on, he adhered to the neo-Gothic movement that was in fashion at the time. Eventually, Gaudí embarked on a more personal phase, with the organic style inspired by nature in which he would build his major works. The style that most influenced him was the Gothic Revival. Nonetheless, for Gaudí the Gothic style was "imperfect", because despite the effectiveness of some of its structural solutions it was an art that had yet to be "perfected”.

After these initial influences, Gaudí moved towards Modernism. He’s usually considered the great master of Catalan Modernism, but his works go beyond any one style or classification. They are imaginative works that find their main inspiration in nature. Gaudí studied organic and anarchic geometric forms of nature thoroughly, searching for a way to give expression to these forms in architecture. Some of his greatest inspirations came from visits to nature, like the mountain of Montserrat. It’s easy to understand how nature inspired him there, in this spiritual place, after we visited the area ourselves. You can actually see the mountain in his work.
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The first place we’d like to introduce to you in photos is Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Milà, also known as La Pedrera (The Quarry). In the next few days we’ll post few photos from this enchanted place. Meanwhile, if you have the time and curiosity, you can watch this documentary called “Antoni Gaudí - The Casa Milà” on You Tube.

Casa Milà is to be found in Barcelona, Eixample district, 92 Passeig de Gràcia (Gràcia promenade). This building is a must see place for visitors to the city. This is the culmination of Antoni Gaudí’s career, designed as a modernistic building tailored to the new social needs, without forgetting his main source of inspiration: nature and organic forms.

The Casa Milà’s façade resembles moving sea waves, the waves interacting with the seaweed - those are the motifs on the wrought - iron balcony railings. The large stone blocks are like a type of skin that covers the skeleton of a building, free of load-bearing walls. It was a controversial design at the time.

Architecturally, Casa Milà’s is considered an innovative work for its steel structure and curtain walls - the façade is self - supporting. Other innovative elements were the construction of underground car parking and separate lifts and stairs for the owners and their servants.

In 1984, it was declared World Heritage by UNESCO. The building is made open to the public by the CatalunyaCaixa Foundation, which manages the various exhibitions and activities and visits to the interior and roof.

Got a letter to send?

nobody@flickr.com (JoLoLog) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 06:46:18 -0700

JoLoLog posted a photo:

Westminster, London, England, UK

September 26, 2009 • Taken by Joe

Photos are © 2005 and on to Lorien, Joe & Moshe, JoLoLog. All rights reserved. You may not download or copy anything from JoLoLog, unless you E-mail us, ask first and get our written permission.
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The media frenzy with the royal wedding is almost coming to its climax, and it reminded me of our few hours visit to London in September 2009, while on our way to Israel.

I don't watch the special shows, and no, I won't get up in the middle of the night to watch the young couple become royal husband and wife, but I liked London, visited there 3 times, and the last short visit took us to the same area where the fairy tale will end/start this coming Friday: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham palace and the streets around them. So, I thought we should share few more photos of the area with you.

This street was very close to Westminster Abbey, and Joe - being a postal case himself *s* - thought this mailbox was a neat thing to photograph, being old world and all. So there you go... a taste of London old, where people will be out there by the thousands to celebrate a young couple's wedding.