Spanish Influences

After walking under those Mission bells (pictured in my last post) to the entrance of the Mission Inn hotel in Riverside California, the Spanish style continues into the beautiful wood beamed lobby.

Every corner of the lobby is warm and inviting with special touches that make it feel like home.  The stairway leads to the second floor where my room happened to be.  There was an elevator to use but, I really enjoyed using those beautiful stairs.

At the end of the hall where my room was located was this beautiful stained glass window.  I took a few photos of the window hoping to capture that late afternoon sunlight streaming through.

The lobby bar is called the Presidential Lounge and that photo of Richard Nixon is there because Richard and Pat Nixon were married here.

This is another sitting area in the lobby right next to the entrance door.  

Scattered throughout the hotel were beautiful murals depicting scenes from the California Mission era.  I'll post some more photos from this beautiful place sometime in the future.  I think from the last three posts, you can see that this is a special place.

Rainy Sunday

Continuing with my post from last Sunday from the Mission Inn in Riverside California, when I woke on Sunday morning at the hotel I was greeted by a light California morning rain.  I grabbed my camera and headed out because I knew the rain would add another dimension to the photos of the place.  Above is an area of rooms known as Authors Row.

This section probably has a name too but, I'm not sure what it is.  This balcony looks over the pool area.

This little balcony spot looks over the area called The Spanish Patio.  When I arrived the day before, the umbrellas were up and people were dining at the tables below.

The beautiful entrance to the hotel took on a whole new look when glistening with the morning rain.  I posted another photo of the entrance in November of last year that you can see here.  On my next post, I'll show you some photos from the inside of the hotel.

Jewel of Riverside

I posted two photos from the Mission Inn in Riverside California back in November of last year.  You can see those here.  I took hundreds of photos of the place when I stayed there back in 2010 so I thought I'd show you more from this beautiful landmark.  It really is a jewell of place and well worth a visit even if you don't stay there.  Above is the St. Francis of Assisi Chapel.

There were at least two wedding that took place here the day I stayed.  The one pictured to the left had quite  a long line of wedding attendants.

I did manage to catch the bride just as she was entering the chapel.

Another area of the hotel is the rotunda open to the California sky.

A climb all the way to the top along the spiral stairway is well worth the effort.  It looks down onto a lovely fountain at the bottom.

Here is a closer view.  I have many more photos of this place to show you in the future.

Art in the Streets

When I visited San Gimignano back in 2012 there was an exhibit of Antony Gormley's sculptures in town and spilling out into the streets were many of his standing man sculptures.  I had seen many photos of these sculptures in a variety of places like water and mountains but, I had never seen one in person.

They were located in the streets in places where you could walk right up to them.

When I got to the Piazza Duomo, I turned to take a photo of those famous towers and I spotted another statue atop the tallest tower.

I wanted to yell "don't jump" but, I controlled the urge.

This poor fellow is stuck right where he is standing. I wonder if he's still there.

I did enjoy seeing this collection of sculptures!

Unexpected Art Installation

Back in 2006 on a trip to Paris, I stopped by the Pantheon for a visit and I found the inside completely full of a cobweb-like work of art.  The work was called Laviathan Thot by the Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto.  It was certainly an interesting and most unusual piece of art.  It was described as a "contrast between the animality of tulle-and-polystyrene creature suspended under the dome of the Pantheon, with the weight of History and the cultural layers of this landmark".

As one reviewer put it, "it looks absolutely mind blowing".

I must say it was quite an interesting sight in such an old and historic building.

If you would like to see some of Neto's work, check this web site.  I have to say, he does some very unique installations.

Basilica Nuestra Senora del Pilar

This 18th Century Jesuit Church is located adjacent to the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires Argentina.  It was originally built in 1732 by Franciscan Recoleto and has been beautifully restored in recent years.

It is built in Baroque style and is considered one of the best preserved examples of Argentine colonial architecture.  The ornate silver altar table is stunning framed by the golden backdrop of the altar.

On the second floor of the church is a small museum that houses religious artifacts from over the centuries.

They sparkle and shine inside glass cases.

There are also windows that offer wonderful views of the cemetery from a higher vantage point.  It's a good place to snap a few pictures of the complex maze of tombs that lay below.

I'll post more photos from inside the cemetery in another post.  It really is a "must see" for any visitor to Buenos Aires.

Waterfall

Back in September of last year, I posted a photo taken in 2005 of this very same fountain located in a quiet square in London.  I mentioned in that post how I discovered it and that it is one of my favorite fountains anywhere.  On my last visit to London last November, I made a point of visiting this fountain again and this time I took many photos of it from different angles.

The fountain is the work of artist Antony Donaldson.  I noticed that his blog does not mention this fountain at all however, you can certainly see similarities between the sculptures on this fountain and the works he does show on his site.

I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to this particular fountain.  Maybe because it's located in such a quiet and hidden spot.  I feel like so few people get to see it and that makes it special to me.

I'm so glad that I found it.  I'm sure that the next time I find myself in London, I'll visit it again.

Stepping into a Science Fiction story

If you've ever visited the Musee de Arts et Metiers in Paris it's likely that you stepped off of the Metro into this station.  The station name is Arts et Metiers and it was redesigned in 1994 to celebrate the bicentenary of the museum.  It was designed by Belgian artist Francois Schuiten in a style called "steampunk".  It looks like something Jules Verne might have dreamed up.  I was so taken by the station that I waited for the crowds to clear so that I could get a good photo of it.

Ghost Town

Just on the other side of the Arizona mining town of Bisbee is what is left of another mining town called Lowell.  At one time, Lowell was a sizable mining town but much of the town was consumed be the excavation of the Lavender Pit mine during the 1950's.

What is left of the town sits right on the edge of this working pit.

When I was there a few years ago, I was the only person wandering the empty streets and looking into the empty shop windows.  

My favorite building was this old Texaco station with it's green trim and antique gas pumps.  

And just up the hill from the gas station sat this yellow taxi from the Broken Spoke Taxi Cab Company.  The only information that I could find about it is that there is a Broken Spoke Saloon somewhere in the west whose owner lives in Bisbee.  No explanation as to why this car sits here except to encourage photographers like me.

The long flight experience

You can probably tell that this is an old photo, almost 15 years old.  That sounds like a long time but, to me it feels like just a short time ago.  When I was traveling so much for work, I was able to accumulate a lot of miles and one year I used those mile to fly "first class" to London on Virgin Atlantic airline.  It was by far, one of the most memorable flights I've ever taken.  From the champagne greeting on boarding to the speedy exit at the end, it was a luxury experience all the way.  Large roomy seats that turned into flat beds, pajamas (which I still have) to sleep in, a wide selection of meals and snacks, on-board massages and/or manicures, and a huge selection of movies and television shows for the non-sleepers are all just a sample of the of things to be experienced.  Oh, and did I mention the lounge on the second level of that 747.  It was by far the most memorable cross-atlantic flight I've ever taken.  If I could do that every time I fly a long flight, I would but the price tag simply won't allow for that.  I just need to rack up some more miles.

Modern Art Museum

One of the many, many must see attractions in Washington DC is the beautiful Hirshhorn Museum which is part of the Smithsonian complex.  Joseph H Hirshhorn endowed the museum during the 1960's with his vast collection of modern art.  Today it is one of the "big five" modern art museums in the U.S.

The building itself is a modern work of art.  It is shaped in a circle with the center open as a courtyard.  The whole thing stands on four massive legs that hold it up from the ground level.  It is said that the Smithsonian staff told the architects "that if  it did not provide a striking contrast to everything else in the city, then it would be unfit for housing a modern art collection."  I think they accomplished the task at hand.

On the mall side of the museum is a large sculpture garden with a variety of wonderful sculptures to admire.  To the left is one of Rodin's "The Burghers of Calais."

Show Stopper

When I visited Italy two years ago, my friend Janet and I spent the second week of our trip with her nephew who was working and living in Treviso Italy.  He took that week off of work and very kindly toured us around northern Italy.  One day when we headed off on one of our explorations, we were driving along when I spotted this place and said "you have to turn around".  I wasn't sure what I was seeing and I had to get a second look.  We discovered that it was a restaurant called "Gargantua".  I simply had to get a picture of it.  I thought we Americans had the market on tacky eating establishments.  The sight of this place proved me wrong.

No, we didn't stop to eat there!  It didn't appeal to any of us.  I did look it up on the internet and found a TripAdvisor rating of the place.  They give it 3 out of 5 stars.  It's located in Paese Italy in case you want to look it up on your next trip to Italy.

The Home of Grappa

The Italian town of Bassano del Grappa is know for inventing the spirit grappa, traditionally served as an after meal drink.  It's made from the discarded grape seeds, stems and stalks of the grape vines.  Today the town has a thriving tourist industry partly drawn by a covered, wooden bridge, it's very own Ponte Vecchio.

The view from the bridge is beautiful, even on a chilly and blustery day like the day I was there.

The first mention of this city dates back to the year 1150.

The city square or "piazza" is surrounded by historic buildings.  The one on the left has a gorgeous clock on it.

And the ever-present Venetian winged lion has a prominent place in the center.

It's a beautiful little town, well worth a visit.

South American Villa

On a trip to Argentina a few years ago, I found myself drinking a popular bottled water with a picture of a villa on the label.

I didn't realize when I bought my first bottle that I'd be visiting that villa later in the trip.


After spending several days in Buenos Aires, I flew to Mendoza with my friends to tour a few of the famous Argentinian wineries.

On one of the days in Mendoza, we took a day trip into the Villavicencio Natural Reserve, about 60k from Mendoza.

The drive into the foothills of the Andes went from desert to low mountain shrubs within just a few kilometers from Mendoza and as we made the final climb up to the villa, our van suddenly filled with a heavenly scent.  Along the side of the road was a field of yellow blooms and their perfume was filling the air.

A little research makes me think these flowers are something called Birdsfoot Trefoil (but, I'm not really sure).  All I know for sure is that they are beautiful and they carry a strong and very pleasant scent.

The Villavicencio Hotel opened in 1940 and closed permanently in 1978.  During it's operation, it served as a hotel and spa near the location where the spring water that was bottled and sold was found.  In 1978 when the World Cup took place in Argentina, well-off families from around the country and the world stayed here during the games.
The building itself is not open to tours but the grounds are full of trails and paths that lead through the gardens and to several mountain lookout points.

The grounds of the property even offered a small chapel where guests could attend Sunday services.

Before we left the area, we stopped at a small countryside pub that used to serve as the kitchen facility for guests of the hotel.  It still operates and provides travelers with a little nourishment for their road trip and of course, a large selection of those good Mendoza wines.