The Church of Our Lady - Bruges

The Church of Our Lady in Bruges, Belgium, dates mainly from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries.

Its tower, at 122.3 meters in height, remains the tallest structure in the city and the second tallest brickwork tower in the world (the tallest being the St. Martin's Church in Landshut, Germany).

In the choir space behind the high altar are the tombs of Charles the Bold, last Valois Duke of Burgundy, and his daughter, the duchess Mary. The gilded bronze effigies of both father and daughter repose at full length on polished slabs of black stone. Both are crowned, and Charles is represented in full armor and wearing the decoration of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

The altarpiece of the large chapel in the southern aisle enshrines the most celebrated art treasure of the church—a white marble sculpture of the Madonna and Child created by Michelangelo around 1504. Probably meant originally for the Siena Cathedral, it was purchased in Italy by two Brugean merchants, the brothers Jan and Alexander Mouscron, and in 1514 donated to its present home. The sculpture was twice recovered after being looted by foreign occupiers—French revolutionaries circa 1794 and Nazi Germans in 1944.

Six Feet Under

These rows of old headstones are in an Christian graveyard in central Kuala Lumpur known as the Birch Road Cemetery. This cemetery has a very large Chinese section but this older part of the cemetery was retained as a Christian burial area. I like the rundown and delapidated feel of this graveyard which adds a very atmospheric feeling to your photos particularly with all the overgrown, lush undergrowth and tropical plants which are obviously thriving on the rich nutrients of the soil!

Bamboo

Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family.

In bamboo, the internodal regions of the stem are hollow and the vascular bundles in the cross section are scattered throughout the stem instead of in a cylindrical arrangement. The dicotyledonous woody xylem is also absent. The absence of secondary growth wood causes the stems of monocots, even of palms and large bamboos, to be columnar rather than tapering.

Bamboos are some of the fastest growing plants in the world, as some species are capable of growing 100 cm (39 in.) or more per day due to a unique rhizome-dependent system. However, the growth rate is partially dependent on local soil and climatic conditions.

Bamboos are of notable economic and cultural significance in South Asia, South East Asia and East Asia, being used for building materials, as a food source, and as a versatile raw product.

Bracket Fungus

Since yesterday's blog had some mushrooms I thought I would continue the theme with today's photograph of fungi growing on a tree in Brugge, Belgium. This fungus is probably Laetiporus sulphureus which is a species of bracket fungus (fungus which grows on trees) found in Europe and North America. Its common names are sulphur polypore, sulphur shelf, and chicken mushroom. Its fruiting bodies grow as striking golden-yellow shelf-like structures on tree trunks and branches. Like other bracket fungi, they may last many years and fade to a more pale grey or brown. The undersurface of the fruiting body is made up of tubelike pores rather than gills. Laetiporus sulphureus is a saprophyte, and causes brown cubical rot in the heartwood of trees on which it grows. Unlike many bracket fungi, it is edible when young.

Life After Death

These mushrooms had sprouted up on an old dead palm oil husk. Fungi are important decomposers of dead animal and plant matter and break down the organic material into simpler compounds that can be absorbed into the soil and  used by other plants. During this process they return carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which green plants then use during photosynthesis to produce food and these green plants then produce oxygen.

Sake

Sake is a rice-based alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin. It is sometimes spelled saké to show the pronunciation more clearly.

This beverage is called sake in English, but in Japanese, sake or o-sake refers to alcoholic drinks in general. The Japanese term for this specific beverage is Nihonshu, meaning "Japanese alcohol".

Sake is also referred to in English as a form of rice wine. However, unlike true wine, in which alcohol is produced by fermenting the sugar naturally present in fruit, sake is made through a brewing process more like that of beer. To make beer or sake, the sugar needed to produce alcohol must first be converted from starch. However, the brewing process for sake differs from beer brewing as well, notably in that for beer, the conversion of starch to sugar and sugar to alcohol occurs in two discrete steps, but with sake they occur simultaneously. Additionally, alcohol content also differs between sake, wine, and beer. Wine generally contains 9–16% alcohol and most beer is 3–9%, whereas undiluted sake is 18–20% alcohol, although this is often lowered to around 15% by diluting the sake with water prior to bottling.

Notagozat

Our first day in Budapest, Hungary and I get caught up in a street demonstration which made for some interesting photos. This lady was holding up her Notagozat sign and a beautiful bunch of flowers.

Notazogat is a womens caucus of the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSzP) which maintains a historical and formal idealogical commitment to women's emancipation.

Easy Sunday

It's Sunday and a day to relax .... just like this young boy in Siem Reap, Cambodia leaning against this tree by the river.

Here's hoping you are all having a nice, easy Sunday

Tiles for America

After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, ceramic studios around the world joined together to offer a creative outlet to the people of our nation. Thousands of tiles, reflecting patriotism, heroes, courage, unity, poetry, and other positive themes arrived in NYC, and more continue to arrive. The “artists” are represented worldwide and have been families, children, schools, churches, scouts, and senior groups. 

Each tile reflects the artists’ thoughts of sadness and hope in the face of this American tragedy and once again, shows that the American people will pull together in times of national disaster. The first New York memorial is located on a chain link fence at the corner of 7th Avenue and 11th Street as shown in the photo here. This memorial and the tiles on it have been shown in several television shows and music videos. It is also regularly visited by tourist buses. The second memorial is at the Tribute WTC Center on the southside of Ground Zero.

Flea Market

During the Queen's Day (Koninginnedag) celebrations in Amsterdam you can see many people selling items on the streets. This lady had staked out a good location on one of the bridges over a canal and was trying to sell a large array of clothing. I liked her comfortable cross-legged pose set off nicely with the cigarette in her hand.

Koninginnedag is known for its nationwide vrijmarkt ("free market" or flea market), at which many Dutch sell their secondhand items. It is also an opportunity for "orange madness" or oranjegekte, for the national colour, when the normally straight-laced Dutch let down their hair, often dyed orange for the occasion.

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

After a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge what better place to stop but the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory which sits in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn side on the corner of Old Fulton and Water Street. This building was the location of an original fire boat house and commands one of the best views of the Manhattan skyline with the magnificent span of the Brooklyn Bridge overhead.

Sheep Meadow

The 15-acre (61,000 m²) preserve known as Sheep Meadow has a long history as a gathering place for large scale demonstrations and political movements. It is currently a favorite spot for families, sunbathers, picnickers, kite flyers, and other visitors to come relax and admire the New York City skyline. Sheep Meadow is located at West side/mid-Park from 66th to 69th Streets and is open from May to mid-October dawn to dusk in fair weather. This open area is very popular and can draw up to 30,000 people a day. "I've seen people standing in line to enter the Sheep Meadow," said Doug Blonsky, president of the Central Park Conservancy.

Safe Haven

This early morning photo of Plockton harbour highlights how beautiful and peaceful the west coast of Scotland can be. The long sheltered sea lochs (or as the Norwegians would call them fjords) offer a safe refuge for the many small fishing boats that are used in this part of the country.

Central Park from Top of the Rock

For the best views of the New York City skyline and Central Park head to the Top of the Rock observation deck at Rockefeller Centre on 50th street, between 5th and 6th Avenues. From the top 3 floors there are wonderful viewing galleries with glass walls which gives you a commanding view of the city from all directions. Looking to the south it's also the best place from where to get probably the bets view of the Empire State Building and see it in context with the rest of the city buildings

Red TNT Post Box

For some reason I collect photos of post boxes. Everywhere I travel I always note new and different designed post boxes and capture an image to add to my collection. This long oblong TNT post box was seen in Amsterdam, Netherlands. TNT N.V. is an international express and mail delivery services company with headquarters in Hoofddorp, Netherlands. In the Netherlands, TNT operates the national postal service under the name TNT Post. The group also offers postal services in eight other European countries, including the UK, Germany, Italy and Belgium. TNT's mail division recorded sales of about €4.2 billion in 2009.

Lady Liberty

This is probably one of the most iconic images which depict New York. The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886. The statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue has become an icon of freedom and of the United States. 

Bartholdi was inspired by French law professor and politician Édouard René de Laboulaye, who commented in 1865 that any monument raised to American independence would properly be a joint project of the French and American peoples. Due to the troubled political situation in France, work on the statue did not commence until the early 1870s. In 1875, Laboulaye proposed that the French finance the statue and the Americans provide the pedestal and the site. Bartholdi completed both the head and the torch-bearing arm before the statue was fully designed, and these pieces were exhibited for publicity at international expositions. The arm was displayed in New York's Madison Square Park from 1876 to 1882. Fundraising proved difficult, especially for the Americans, and by 1885 work on the pedestal was threatened due to lack of funds. Publisher Joseph Pulitzer of the World initiated a drive for donations to complete the project, and the campaign inspired over 120,000 contributors, most of whom gave less than a dollar. The statue was constructed in France, shipped overseas in crates, and assembled on the completed pedestal on what was then called Bedloe's Island. The statue's completion was marked by New York's first ticker-tape parade and a dedication ceremony presided over by President Grover Cleveland.

The statue was administered by the United States Lighthouse Board until 1901 and then by the Department of War; since 1933 it has been maintained by the National Park Service. The statue was closed for renovation for much of 1938. In the early 1980s, it was found to have deteriorated to such an extent that a major restoration was required. While the statue was closed from 1984 to 1986, the torch and a large part of the internal structure were replaced. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, it was closed for reasons of safety and security; the pedestal reopened in 2004 and the statue in 2009, with limits on the number of visitors allowed to ascend to the crown. The statue is scheduled to close for up to a year beginning in late 2011 so that a secondary staircase can be installed. Public access to the balcony surrounding the torch has been barred for safety reasons since 1916.

Central Park, NYC

This is a typical scene in New York's Central Park with vendors selling ice cream and roasted nuts. It was springtime when this image was shot so you can see all the trees just staring to bud.

Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on 843 acres (3.41 km²) of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan. Construction began the same year and was completed in 1873.

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963, the park is currently managed by the Central Park Conservancy under contract with the city government. The Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that contributes 85% of Central Park's $37.4 million dollar annual budget, and employs 80% of the park's maintenance staff Central Park, which has been a National Historic Landmark since 1963, was designed by landscape designer and writer Frederick Law Olmsted and the English architect Calvert Vaux in 1858 after winning a design competition. They also designed Brooklyn's Prospect Park. 

 The park, which receives approximately thirty-five million visitors annually, is the most visited urban park in the United States. It was opened on 770 acres (3.1 km²) of city-owned land and was expanded to 843 acres (3.41 km²; 1.317 sq mi). It is 2.5 miles (4 km) long between 59th Street (Central Park South) and 110th Street (Central Park North), and is 0.5 miles (0.8 km) wide between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West. It is similar in size to San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, Chicago's Lincoln Park, Vancouver's Stanley Park, and Munich's Englischer Garten. Central Park is bordered on the north by West 110th Street, on the south by West 59th Street, on the west by Eighth Avenue, and on the east by Fifth Avenue. Along the park's borders however, these are known as Central Park North, Central Park South, and Central Park West, respectively. Only Fifth Avenue retains its name as it delineates the eastern border of the park. The park is maintained by the Central Park Conservancy, a private, not-for-profit organization that manages the park under a contract with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, in which the president of the Conservancy is ex officio Administrator of Central Park. 

Today, the conservancy employs four out of five maintenance and operations staff in the park. It effectively oversees the work of both the private and public employees under the authority of the Central Park administrator, (publicly appointed), who reports to the parks commissioner, conservancy's president. As of 2007, the conservancy had invested approximately $450 million in the restoration and management of the park; the organization presently contributes approximately 85% of Central Park’s annual operating budget of over $37 million. The system was functioning so well that in 2006 the conservancy created the Historic Harlem Parks initiative, providing horticultural and maintenance support and mentoring in Morningside Park, St. Nicholas Park, Jackie Robinson Park, and Marcus Garvey Park. 

 While foliage in much of the park appears natural, it is in fact almost entirely landscaped. The park contains several natural-looking lakes and ponds that have been created artificially, extensive walking tracks, bridle paths, two ice-skating rinks (one of which is a swimming pool in July and August), the Central Park Zoo, the Central Park Conservatory Garden, a wildlife sanctuary, a large area of natural woods, a 106-acre (43 ha) billion-gallon reservoir with an encircling running track, and an outdoor amphitheater, called the Delacorte Theater, which hosts the "Shakespeare in the Park" summer festivals. Indoor attractions include Belvedere Castle with its nature center, the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, and the historic Carousel. In addition there are numerous major and minor grassy areas, some of which are used for informal or team sports, some are set aside as quiet areas, and there are a number of enclosed playgrounds for children.

The 6 miles (10 km) of drives within the park are used by joggers, bicyclists, skateboarders, and inline skaters, especially on weekends and in the evenings after 7:00 p.m., when automobile traffic is prohibited. 

 The real estate value of Central Park was estimated by the property appraisal firm, Miller Samuel, to be $528,783,552,000 in December 2005

Anstruther

Anstruther is a small fishing village on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, very close to my home town. The meaning of the name Anstruther in gaelic is "small stream" and the small stream called the Dreel Burn in the foreground is more than likely the small stream in question.

It was originally a fishing village, and is home to the Scottish Fisheries Museum, but its main industry is now tourism, although other small scale manufacturing and service industries continue. Pleasure craft now moor in the harbour, and there is a golf course. Anstruther Pleasure Cruises operate sightseeing/wildlife cruises from the harbour to the Isle of May on board the 'May Princess' from April till October, the Isle of May is considered the UK's No.1 Puffin location, there is also an abundance of other interesting wildlife and seal colonies on the Island. The Waid Academy, the local state comprehensive school, is often a focus of the community and through its secondary role as a community centre offers a wide range of activities & sports, and hosts entertainment for young and old. Sports Hall, Gym, Swimming pool etc. are also situated here and open to public use.

It has a double award-winning fish and chip shop, Anstruther Fish Bar, which won Fish and Chip shop of the year in 2001-2002 and was awarded the same prize once again, by Sea Fish Organisation, in 2009, as well as other fine fish and non-fish takeaways, and relaxed and formal dining restaurants. There is also the other famous Wee Chippy restaurant which has been voted the best place in the world for fish and chips.

1501 7th Avenue NYC

This beautifully ornate building front was spotted at 1501 7th Avenue in the Times Square area, New York. One thing that impressed me about New York were the wonderful art deco style period buildings which have been maintained immaculately. 

The pixelated colour blocks you see in the window are not a camera or post processing error but actually a reflection of a large megatron monitor on the building opposite.

Dutch Tricycle

This lady was transporting her children back from school in a neat little tricycle which seemed a perfect way to get around the city; environmentally friendly and offering a little exercise for the person cycling.

Combination Auto Sprinkler and Standpipe

This is a common sight in New York City buildings although something we probably do not pay much attention to. A standpipe is a fire hydrant for an individual building and is a rigid pipe which can provide water at high pressure to a water supply or sprinklers at higher floors since it is usually not feasible to run hoses from the street up stairwells in high rise buildings. With a standpipe system water is fed from the street up the vertical standpipe in the building with hoses attached from outlets at each floor.

Isadora's Cafe

This dapper young man was parading around the Easter Parade in New York on Easter Sunday and when I asked to take his photograph he proudly whipped out this advertising card for Isadora's Cafe. Nothing to beat some free advertising!

New York Roof Top Graffiti

Mention of the word graffiti usually conjures up a picture of a typical New York street scene with buildings and walls adorned by colourful graffiti work. In these apartment blocks close to the Brooklyn Bridge they have taken the graffiti from street level to rooftop level

But 'n Ben

A but 'n ben is a small 2 roomed house in Scotland, the but end being the kitchen and ben being the bedroom. This little quaint thatched-roof cottage in Plockton really epitomized my idea of a but 'n ben complete with an old plow and wooden barrel to add to the atmosphere. Perhaps this was just an outhouse to the main large house in the background or maybe was a small rental holiday house. Whatever it was so nice to see an authentic old building in such good condition with the well painted white walls and varnished front door.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

This truck in New York had a distinctive badge on the front, "The Good, Bad & The Ugly" plus a teddy bear for whatever reason. Going by the Slovakia badge perhaps the truck driver was from Slovakia. It was a joy to see all these large trucks all usually very well maintained with special paint jobs and personalised touches to add some character to the daily workhorse.

Happy Hour

This is a typical scene in Amsterdam late afternoon/early evening when people kick back and have a happy hour drink. These little corner bars and cafes are usually set up very well with outside seats so you can sit and relax in the cool evening air and watch people either heading home on their bicycles or sitting at the bar/cafe opposite you doing the exact same thing! This particular bar/cafe was on the Prinsengracht canal and very close to the hotel I was staying at so it was always an easy option to drop in for  a cleansing Dutch beer.

Cutler Mail Box

This beautiful brass US Mail letter box can be seen in the Grand Central Terminal, New York City.

As urban business centers flourished in the 19th century and buildings grew vertically, rather than horizontally in response to growing urban land values, the Post Office Department sought an easier way for occupants to mail their letters. It was more convenient to collect the mail inside the office buildings instead of forcing tenants to deposit their mail in boxes on the street or post offices. The answer was the creation of mail chutes that would extend from the top floor to a receiving box located at ground level.

The first mail chute was installed in the Elwood Building in Rochester, New York in 1884. The experiment was successful and chutes were installed in two New York City office buildings. The first mail chutes were limited to railroad stations and public buildings. By 1905, the postal service allowed mail chutes to be placed in hotels taller than five stories and in apartment houses with more than 50 residential apartments.The receiving box, which was located at the bottom of the mail chute, was manufactured by James G. Cutler, who received patent #284,951 for his design. which stated that the box must "be of metal, distinctly marked 'U.S. Letter Box,'" and that the "door must open on hinges on one side, with the bottom of the door not less than 2'6" above the floor." 

If a receiving box was to be placed in a building that was more than two stories high, the bottom of the box was required to be outfitted with an elastic cushion to "prevent injury to the mail."  Mail chutes had to be accessible along their entire length and at least three-fourths glass fronted so that postal workers could easily locate and remove any lodged mail. Congress placed all chutes and subsequent mail matter under the exclusive custody of the Post Office Department in 1893 and made all chute construction work subject to postal regulations. Cutler's company was the sole manufacturer of mail chutes and receiving boxes until 1904. During those 20 years, the company produced more than 1600 receiving boxes, and continued to produce them for several more years. This receiving box was constructed in 1920.

Soup Man at Work

Soup Kitchen International is a well-known soup restaurant at 259-A West 55th Street, near 8th Avenue, in Manhattan, New York City, run by Ali "Al" Yeganeh. It is part of the Original Soup Man chain of stores, which is also run by Yeganeh.
The 55th Street location was closed in 2004, with the windows soaped over. Yeganeh, however, kept the lease on the shop while he looked to expand into a broader market. This led to the formation of the Original Soup Man chain and eventually led to the reopening of Soup Kitchen International, which now bears the name "Original Soup Man" like all of Yeganeh's other restaurants.
Yeganeh was the inspiration for the "Soup Nazi" character in the similarly named episode of the NBC television sitcom Seinfeld. Yeganeh was born in Iran^[and had lived in Khorramshahr prior to moving to the US. He has stated on numerous occasions that he is very offended by the "Soup Nazi" moniker. It is in this episode where Yeganeh is fictionally portrayed as the tyrannical purveyor of his soups, making all of his customers follow a strict set of rules if they wish to successfully procure a bowl of one of his coveted soups. The real Yeganeh has stated that his rules are simply an attempt to keep the line moving and serve the largest number of people.
In order to provide the most efficient service to his customers, Yeganeh established a set of "rules" for ordering his soup:

• Pick the soup you want.
• Have your money ready.
• Move to the extreme left after ordering.
• Another added rule, created after the Seinfeld episode, states not to mention "The N Word [for Nazi]."

Supposedly, if these rules are not followed, the offending patron is denied service and usually sent to the back of the line. In more extreme cases the patron can be banned from the restaurant for extended periods of time. However, at the first franchise of Yeganeh's "The Original Soup Man" restaurants (in Princeton, New Jersey), the rules are posted but not enforced in such an extreme manner. It is somewhat difficult to separate fact from fiction in this case, as reporters interviewing Yeganeh tend to casually alienate him at once by mentioning Seinfeld and the "Soup Nazi" description, which he finds to be very offensive and degrading to him as a chef and entrepreneur.
It has been revealed that once, Jerry Seinfeld and several members of the production team went to Soup Kitchen International for lunch weeks after "The Soup Nazi" aired. Upon recognizing Seinfeld, Yeganeh went into a profanity-filled rant about how the show had "ruined" his business and demanded an apology. Seinfeld allegedly gave "the most insincere, sarcastic apology ever given", according to writer Spike Feresten. Obviously having seen the episode, Yeganeh then bellowed "No soup for you!" and ejected them from the restaurant.

Have A Cigar

This character was standing posing on 5th Avenue during the New York Easter Parade on 24th April, 20011 complete with large cigar, white trilby hat and a carrot in the top pocket!! Looking at him puffing away on the big cigar made me think of the Pink Floyd song, "Have A Cigar"

Come in here, Dear boy, have a cigar.
You're gonna go far,
You're gonna fly high,
You're never gonna die,
You're gonna make it, if you try;
They're gonna love you.
Well I've always had a deep respect,
And I mean that most tensely.
The band is just fantastic,
that is really what I think.
Oh by the way, which one's Pink?

And did we tell you the name of the game, boy?
We call it Riding the Gravy Train.

We're just knocked out.
We heard about the sell-out.
You gotta get an album out.
You owe it to the people.
We're so happy we can hardly count.
Everybody else is just green,
Have you seen the chart?
It's a hell of a start,
It could be made into a monster
If we all pull together as a team.

And did we tell you the name of the game, boy?
We call it Riding the Gravy Train. 

Duke Ellington

Located on the northeast corner of New York’s Central Park at Pioneers’ Gate (at 110th Street and Fifth Avenue), the sculpture of Edward Kennedy Ellington is the first monument in New York City dedicated to an African American and the first memorial to Ellington in the U.S.  The monument depicts Ellington standing beside a concert grand, on three tall columns. A the top of each column stand three female figures that represent the muses.  The sculpture resides within a multi-leveled semi-circular plaza at the gateway to Harlem. Though not a native New Yorker, it was his time spent in Harlem and the Cotton Club that solidified Duke Ellington’s influence as one of the originators of big-band jazz.

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions. In the words of Bob Blumenthal of The Boston Globe "In the century since his birth, there has been no greater composer, American or otherwise, than Edward Kennedy Ellington

Where Will You Spend Eternity?

"The End is Nigh!" cried this street preacher outside the St. Patrick's cathedral on 5th Avenue during the New York Easter Parade. "Be wise and repent! The time is fulfilled!! The end is at hand!!!" As I have said before one of my photo tips is to capture people who are really busy and preoccupied with their job at hand. This guy was so intent on his rantings and his sermon to the crowds I could get real close and he was unaware of me taking photos. This usually results in more candid and realistic images and I think this one certainly captures that moment on the street. 

In a similar fashion to the recent newsworthy Harold Camping who predicted the end of the world and his wonderful "rapture" theory I think this guy here is barking up a similar tree with rampant and wild predictions. Anyway it certainly added to the atmosphere and jollity of the Easter Day parade which abounded with similar extravagant characters.