Schimbare domeniu

In urma sugestiei lui Bogdan (multumesc!) de pe Laura si Apollo prin lumea larga, anunt si aici mutarea blogului pe domenul propriu: http://travelinghawk.me  Multumesc tuturor celor care ma urmaresc.

I want to announce the moving of my blog to a new domain: http//travelinghawk.me  Thank you to all my readers!

Pe Drumul Matasii in Uzbekistan 24. Madrasa Nadir Divan-begi si un spectacol de exceptie / On the Silk Road in Uzbekistan 24. Nadir Divan-begi Madrasah and an Exceptional Show

“Divan-begi” or “vizier” designates the second in command, after the Khan. Nadir Divan-begi was a rich merchant of Turkmen origin who built a caravanserai in the old center of Bukhara. At the inauguration ceremony, Quli Khan declared it a madrasah, so Nadir Divan-begi had to add the loggias and the gate with the two towers, cut at the level of the gate.

 

The portal has a nice decoration, presenting two simourghs (phoenix bird), two white deers, and a sun with a human face. These are uncharacteristic motifs for Islamic monuments but a new trend has been set some years before in Samarkand and Nadir just followed.

 

It is this building were they organize shows for the tourists, including folk music and dances and also fashion shows. The fashion parade, presenting dresses inspired by the folk art let me with the image of some huge, beautiful  butterflies I let you to judge by yourselves.

 

“Divan-begi” sau “vizir” este o functie care desemna in Buhara pe primul om in hanat, dupa han.

In 1622/23, Nadir Divan-begi din Bukhara, vizirul Hanului Quli, a construit un caravanserai, langa rezervorul de apa din Lyabi Khauz. La inaugurare insa, hanul l-a laudat pentru frumoasa constructie inchinata lui Allah si a proclamat-o medresa. Nadir a fost astfel obligat sa schimbe destinatia initiala a constructiei si sa ii adauge logiile din fata si turnurile de la intrare, taiate la nivelul portii.

Ziua Tuturor Sfintilor - remember Cimitirul Central din Viena / All Saints Day - a Remember of the Central Cemetery in Vienna

Today, November,1 the Catholics are celebrating All Saints’Day and tomorrow, All Souls’Day. It is a celebration almost similar in significance as the Day of the Dead for the Romanian Orthodox, which we celebrate on the Tomi Sunday, the first Sunday after the Easter. In Banat (the county where I live) and Transylvannia, the Romanians adopted since long the All Saints’Day. In this day we go to the cemeteries, with flowers and candles, to celebrate our dear relatives or friends who are no longer with us.


Some years ago, I was in Vienna, in Spring, and I went to the Central Cemetery. If my fellows Romanians know the Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest, which is kind of a Pantheon for our national culture, the same value is attributed to the Viennesse cemetery.

On the central alley, leading to the Boromaus Church (1908-1911) – one of the most beautiful Secession (Art Nouveau) church in the world – there are buried the great citizens of Austria, or at least remembered by a memorial.

The cemetery was founded in 1874. It has a surface of 2.5 square kilometers and 2.5 million people are buried here.

The funeral monuments of the great artists are so wonderful that you forget where you are, and walk on the alleys like in an open air museum.

Let’s lit a candle tonight for the souls of the dear ones!

Azi, 1 noiembrie, catolicii sarbatoresc Ziua Tuturor Sfintilor, iar maine este Ziua Tuturor Sufletelor. O sarbatoare asemanatoare ca semnificatie cu Ziua Mortilor, pe care romanii ortodocsi o serbeaza in Dumineca Tomi, prima dumineca dupa Paste. In Banat si Transilvania, sub influenta locuitorilor catolici, romanii au adoptat demult ziua de 1 Noiembrie ca zi a mortilor, cand toata lumea se duce la cimitir pentru a-i vizita pe cei dragi, plecati dintre noi, a duce flori si a aprinde o lumanare.

Acum cativa ani am vizitat, intr-o primavara, Cimitirul Central din Viena (Zentralfriedhof) si ma intrebam cum as putea prezenta cateva dintre fotografiile facute atunci. Daca multi cunosc Cimitirul Bellu din Bucuresti ca pe un Pantheon al culturii romanesti, Cimitirul Central din Viena reprezinta acelasi lucru pentru cultura austriaca dar este mult mai mare.

Pe aleea centrala, care duce spre splendida Biserica Boromaus (1908-1911), una dintre cele mai frumoase din lume in stil Secession (Art Nouveau), se afla careul in care sunt inmormantate sau macar amintite printr-un monument (ca si in cazul lui Mozart, inmormantat de fapt intr-o groapa comuna), marile personalitati ale tarii. Voi scrie alta data si mai ales va voi arata interiorul superb al acestei biserici.

 

 Biserica Boromaus (1908-1911)

de pe treptele Bisericii Boromaus; in dreapta este celebrul careu 32C, unde sunt "mormintele de onoare" (Ehregraber)

Cimitirul a fost infiintat in 1874 si doar doua date statistice va pot sugera ce reprezinta el: are o suprafata de 2.5 kilometri patrati si in el isi dorm somnul de veci peste 2.5 milioane de oameni.

Dintre multele fotografii pe care le-am facut atunci, va prezint aleatoriu cateva. Frumusetea deosebita a monumentelor te face sa uiti deseori unde te afli si sa ratacesti pe aleile minunat ingrijite ca si cand ai fi intr-un muzeu in aer liber.

 Hasenaver (1819-1895), compozitor de operete

 Brahms

 Johann Strauss si sotia

 Franz Schubert

 Bethoven

 Franz Suppe, compzitor de operete si dirijor

 Mozart

 Johann Ritter von Herbeck (1831-1877), compozitor si dirijor

 Carl Millocker (1842-1899), compozitor de operete si dirijor

 Ludwig Anzengruber (1839-1889), poet, dramaturg si romancier

 Hans Makart (1840-1884), pictor academic, decorator, designer

 Rudolf Eitelberger (1817-1885), istoric de arta

Amerling (1803-1887), pictor la curtea lui Franz Josef

In apropiere am observat si cateva monumente funerare moderne mai deosebite.

 monument Secession (Art Nouveau); si caracterele intrebuintate apartin aceluiasi stil artistic

 In aceasta seara, sa aprindem o lumanare pentru sufletul celor care nu mai sunt printre noi!

in interiorul Bisericii Boromaus; mozaicurile executate de Leopold Forstner (1878-1936)

Refugiu de toamna / Autumn Retreat

Autumn is here again! I can't complain: it's the end of October and we still have warm days, like in summer, but brisk mornings and cool nights. My refuge not far from home (85 km) offers now the whole beauty of autumn colors. The last weekend was sunny, so we went there to pick up the last grapes.

Toamna e din nou aici! Nu ma pot plange: desi e sfarsit de octombrie zilele sunt inca calde ca si vara, cu dimineti "proaspete" si nopti racoroase. Refugiul meu nu departe de casa (85 km) ofera acum intreaga frumusete a culorilor toamnei. Ultimul weekend a fost insorit, asa ca am fost acolo sa culegem ultimii struguri.

 ultimii trandafiri

 in fundul gradinii, Rhus typhina

 fructe de Pyracantha

 Asterul de toamna, stelute

 Euonymus alatus

 Anemone hupehensis, anemone "japoneze"

Parthenocissus quinquefolia, vita canadiana

Pe Drumul Matasii in Uzbekistan 8. Turnul televiziunii, Tashkent / On the Silk Road in Uzbekistan 8. TV Tower, Tashkent

Like other photographer-traveler, wherever I go, I am looking after a taller place to admire the panorama. TV Tower in Tashkent started operation on 1985, as the tallest structure in Central Asia. Its heigh of 375 m makes the tower 75 m taller than the famous Eiffel Tower.

We went there by metro, descending at Khabib Abdullaev station, on the green line. A ticket costs 700 sum. In Tashkent, the metro has three lines with stations beautifully decorated. It is strictly prohibited to take photos, so I cannot demonstrate you what I say.

To visit the tower, you have to carry your passport with you. The entrance ticket is 7000 sum (aprox. 3$), which enable you to go to the observation deck, at 100 m heigh. If you offer the same amount of money to the lift boy, he/she will take you at 200 m, at the open maintenance deck. There is a restaurant and a bar at the observation deck.

The lobby is decorated with a mosaic created by Buharbaev, using semi-presious stones.
From above, you may see how big and green is Tashkent! At the foot of the tower you see the artificial lakes of the Aqua Park and, beyond, the modern buildings of the Intercontinental Hotel, National Bank, and International Business Center.

Ca si alti calatori-fotografi si eu caut mereu un loc mai inalt in orice oras in care merg. Turnul televiziunii din Tashkent a inceput sa functioneze in anul 1985, fiind cea mai inalta structura din Asia Centrala. Inaltimea sa de 375 m il face cu 75 m mai inalt decat celebrul Turn Eiffel.

 Turnul TV, Tashkent

Am ajuns pana acolo cu metroul (1 bilet – 700 sum), coborand la statia Khabib Abdullaev, linia verde. Metroul din Tashkent are trei linii. Unele dintre statiile sale sunt frumos decorate, ca si la metroul din Moscova, pentru cine il cunoaste. Fotografiatul este insa strict interzis, asa ca nu va pot arata nimic.

Pentru a-l vizita, trebuie sa prezenti pasaportul. Intrarea costa 7000 sum, care iti asigura urcatul pana la puntea de observatie, la100 m. Daca mai dai tot pe atata liftierului, te duce pana la platforma deschisa, de intretinere, la 200 m. Pe puntea de observatie gasesti, daca esti interest, un restaurant si un bar.

La parter, holul este decorat cu un mosaic creat de Buharbaev, cu intarsii din pietre semipretioase.

De sus, vezi cat de mult se intinde Tashkentul si cat de verde este! Imediat la picioarele turnului, se vad lacurile din Aqua Park. Dincolo de ele sunt cladirile modern ale Hotelului Intercontinental, Bancii Nationale si un Business Center International.

 cu Gallia, sus in Turnul TV din Tashkent

 Aqua Park

Cand am plecat, soarele apunea. Pana am ajuns la statia de metrou, cerul s-a colorat frumos mai intai in galben sulfuriu, apoi in nuante de rosu. Ultima noapte in Asia Centrala incepea.