Adam Paul » Travel

Wordless Wednesday: Mission San Miguel Arcangel

Adam R. Paul — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:00:29 +0000

(Happy New Year!)

Filed under: Architecture, Photography, Travel, Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday: Calaveras Big Trees North Grove Hike

Adam R. Paul — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:00:25 +0000

29 August, 2010:

North Grove Trailhead

Elica meeting her first Giant Sequoia

Sequoia roots

Red bark

Mountain Dogwood

Fallen Sequoia

Walking through a Sequoia

Dogwoods starting to turn

Me-in-a-tree

Elica and Sarah in a tree

Giant Sequoia

Filed under: Hiking, Nature, Photography, Travel

A 4th of July High Sierra drive, Part 2

Adam R. Paul — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:57:09 +0000

(Continued from here)

We drove a couple of miles east down Sonora Pass and stopped at Sardine Meadow, intending to walk the mile or so up Sardine Creek to Sardine Falls.

Sardine Creek

Early spring flowers were going great, including the funky looking Elk Thistle.

Elk Thistle

This thistle, even more than others, looks rather alien-like to me.

Western Blue Flag Irises

A few patches of Western Blue Flag Irises bloomed, but by and large it was too early for most of them. Come mid-August, the meadow will be a riot of purple and blue.

Sardine Creek

We walked along the creek, following an informal trail which then crossed the creek. This presented a bit of a problem for us, as we were not equipped for a creek crossing and the creek was high and wide enough that there was no way to cross without getting wet. Wouldn’t normally care, but we hadn’t planned for this, and didn’t relish crossing barefoot without poles, so we walked upstream for a ways to see if there was another way across. There wasn’t, so we wandered back toward the car.

Wildflower-strewn Sardine Meadow

Asters and Shooting Stars bloomed profusely, and myriad buds hinted at many flowers yet to come. Back at the car, we continued east on Hwy 108 to Leavitt Falls Overlook, an easily-missed turnout that features, in addition to the nice-enough Leavitt Falls, wonderful views over the upper Walker River Valley.

Walker Valley

The setting is quite idyllic, with a green meadow, crystal-blue meandering river, and rocky snow-dusted peaks above.

Sandy mountain

We pulled out the camp chairs that happened to be in the car and ate lunch here, overlooking the valley.

Walker Valley

The classic meandering S-curves of the Walker River are always a treat to look at.

Looking east

We walked as close as we could to Leavitt Falls, but there was no vantage the afforded a look that would work in a photo, as the falls were in deep shade, yet the nearby hills in full sun. After about an hour, we continued east.

USMC Winter Warfare Camp

The eastern Sierra drops off much, much more steeply than the western slopes, and we soon passed the US Marine Corps Winter Warfare Center. When hiking in the Sonora Pass area, one sometimes runs across infantrymen practicing their rugged terrain skills.

Walker River

Near the USMC camp the Walker River continues its unhurried meander, and we followed it.

Western Blue Flag Irises

Near the intersection of Hwys 108 and 395, a large’ish patch of irises bloomed, so I stopped to photograph them. Although common locally, it’s not a flower I see very often at all. We drove north on Hwy 395, following the now-rushing Walker River, through the hamlet of Walker, turning west on Hwy 89/Monitor Pass.

Monitor Pass view

This pass I know very, very well, having bicycled up it 5 times as part of the Death Ride bicycle ride. It has a desolate high desert beauty, and wide-open views all the way up its eastern side.

Monitor Pass view

The 2010 Death Ride was the next weekend, and I was a little surprised not to see any cyclists here early for training rides. Down the pretty, but less-scenic western side of Monitor, we continued west on Hwy 4/Ebbetts Pass, which I also know well from crawling up it at a snail’s pace, sweat pouring down my eyes. It made me kind of miss doing the Death Ride, difficult though it is, and demanding on one’s time to properly train for it.

Mosquito Lakes

Up and over Ebbett’s Pass, we stopped briefly at Mosquito Lakes, then drove the last 20 miles back to the cabin.

This is a long loop at around 200 miles, and it definitely takes all day if you want to soak in the sights, which after all is the point! I like to do this drive at least every couple of years – it’s amazing to see how much the terrain changes in the course of 3 Sierra passes!

Filed under: Nature, Photography, Travel, Wildflowers

Prague, Part 25: Prazky Hrad (Prague Castle) – II

Adam R. Paul — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:54:05 +0000

Despite the throngs of visitors to the Prague Castle complex, if you go just a little ways away from the tourist attractions, many peaceful nooks and crannies await, and these were my favorite parts of the Castle, and of Prague generally.

Having already covered the sights of Prague Castle here, I will let the photos speak for themselves in this, the last post in my Prague series.

Castle Turret

Narrow alleyway

Terraced gardens

The Loreta Church

Memorial

Red roofs and spires

Gargoyle

St. Vitus Cathedral

Memorial fountain

Castle walls

Stag fountain

Royal fig orchard

Bridges over the Vltava River

View over Prague

View south from Prague Castle

Thank you for reading. At 25 posts, this series is much longer than any I’ve done previously, but I’ve enjoyed re-living the memories of our trip, now over a year ago!

For convenience, here is an index to the Prague posts I’ve written:

Filed under: Photography, Travel

Prague, Part 24: Prazky Hrad (Prague Castle) – I

Adam R. Paul — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:44:02 +0000

Prague Castle is known to be a crowded tourist magnet, which it is.

Street musicians

Known as the world’s largest castle (depending on exactly how one measures), it’s popular for a good reason though, with a large complex of interesting buildings, the seat of the Czech president, and numerous museums.

Archbishop’s Summer Palace

In proper castle fashion, guards are posted at the sides of each entrance gate:

Guard

And like elsewhere, the changing of the guard is a bafflingly-popular thing for tourists to watch:

Changing of the guard

Then again, when the guard is changing, you cannot go through the gates anyhow, so you may as well watch, I suppose.

Vintage Czech car

The street scene in and around the castle is colorful, with a varied blend of government folk, tourists, and service people.

St. George’s Basilica

Two large, intimidating statues flank the main entrance:

Stabby

Clubby

I guess these were meant to put subjects in their place and instill some sense of wonder (or at least fear).

Sad obelisk

This obelisk, installed in the early 20th century, was meant to symbolize power & permanence of the Czech state, but it broke in transit, hence its stunted metal top now. Perhaps a harbinger of things to come in WWII.

Crowds near St. Vitus Cathedral

Especially the areas near St. Vitus Cathedral and the Golden Lane (which we did not visit) are highly-trafficked. We opted to skip the for-pay parts of the castle, and contented ourselves with a couple of visits to St. Vitus, and the courtyards and gardens. One can’t see everything, and we normally don’t try too hard.

North gate

Despite the crowds, like St. Vitus, Prague Castle is a must-visit, and it’s a great walk from Mala Strana up the hill to the castle, or you can take the “tourist express” tram #22 to and/or from it.

Prague index:

Filed under: Photography, Travel

Prague, Part 23: Katedrála svatého Víta (St. Vitus Cathedral), interior

Adam R. Paul — Fri, 21 May 2010 04:15:04 +0000

After waiting in a potentially very long line (go on a weekday or in the morning for the shortest waits, and be aware that this is an active church, so Sunday mornings are out), the interior of St. Vitus Cathedral is a treat for the eyes.

Looking toward St. Vitus’ altar

With Gothic arches soaring high overhead, stained glass windows galore, and several notable tombs, there is plenty to keep the eyes occupied as you walk around this large church.

St. Vitus’ organ

Although most, if not all, of the stained glass is from circa 1900, it’s of very high quality.

Stained glass

Because construction of the cathedral took over 400 years and funds were tight near its completion, many of the glass panels bear the names of their sponsors – banks, insurance companies, and the like.

More stained glass

The color schemes of the windows are different than most I’ve seen, with strong reds, blues and sometimes greens dominating.

Still more stained glass

The detailing of the glass is superb – I can’t even imagine how many individual glass pieces there are in the window above!

A large stained glass

For me the highlight, by far, is a stunning painted glass by the superb Czech Art Nouveau illustrator AlfonsMucha:

Alfons Mucha painted glass, detail

Alfons Mucha painted glass panel, entire

His soaring panel exemplifies the Art Nouveau decorative style, with its natural themes, bold yet soft colors, and mixture of straight and organic lines.

Relief Christ-figure

In addition to the windows, carvings and reliefs are everywhere.

Altar piece

Impossible to miss, in the middle of the walkway around the altar area, is the enormous, solid silver tomb of St. John of Nepomuk.

Tomb of St. John of Nepomuck

This gargantuan sarcophagus, made from two tons of solid silver, makes up in fanciness what it lacks in subtlety.

Tomb of St. John of Nepomuck

An ersatz Catholic Czech equivalent of the martyred Jan Hus, it seems no expense was spared in the church’s attempt to make him the Catholic patron saint of the Czechs.

Tomb of St. John of Nepomuck

While walking around the tomb, look down, as many notable early Czech saints are interred or memorialized here as well.

Tomb of St. John of Nepomuck

Also fascinating is the Chapel of St. Wenceslaus (1344-64), which is not open to the public, but one can get views of it from the adjoining rooms. This fine chapel has walls adorned with semi-precious stones, and contains the relics of St. Wenceslaus, the “Good King” of the Christmas carol.

Chapel of St. Wenceslaus

Despite my general dislike of highly-touristed areas, it would be unthinkable to visit Prague without seeing St. Vitus Cathedral – it’s a masterpiece of architecture, glasswork, and culture, and should be on anyone’s itinerary.

Prague index:

Filed under: Architecture, Art, Photography, Travel

Prague, Part 22: Katedrála svatého Víta (St. Vitus Cathedral), exterior

Adam R. Paul — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:50:00 +0000

Looming over the landscape of old Prague, St. Vitus Cathedral is quite impossible to miss, its gothic spires rising high above the large edifice of Prague Castle.

St. Vitus Cathedral from the north

Construction of this Gothic masterpiece began on 21 November, 1344; it was completed a mere 585 years later(!!!), in 1929.

Gothic spires

According to the Cathedral’s wiki page, construction proceeded slowly but steadily under a succession of builders from 1344 to around 1420, when the Hussite Wars broke out and halted construction.

Relief carving

Work resumed in the late 1400s for a very short period before being halted due to inadequate funds, and in 1541 a fire damaged the nascent cathedral considerably..

Statue

For most of its history, it sat, incomplete, with a “temporary” wall sealing off the as yet unbuilt portions, until in the mid 1800s a program was started to finish the thing, once and for all, which took a further 70 years

Cathedral, west (entrance) side

And so the cathedral is half rather-old, half not-very-old, but fortunately the architects who finished it carried the design elements of its founders through, and unless you have a very sharp eye for architecture (which I do not), you’d not likely guess it took nearly 600 years to build.

Fancy scrollwork

The square in Prague Castle containing St. Vitus Cathedral is heavily touristed, and long lines can form as they throttle entrance to keep the interior at least somewhat peaceful.

Gothic window embellishment

It’s best to visit before noon, before the tour buses disgorge their patrons, and not on Sunday, as it’s a working church, and not open to the public when services are being held.

Bell tower

Although I have not traveled to much of old Europe, I can say with certainty that St. Vitus is a masterpiece of Gothic (and neo-Gothic) architecture with its myriad spires, gargoyles, and reliefs.

St. Vitus Cathedral’s south side

The bell tower (right, above) is generally open to the public, but was closed for renovations each time I visited. Too bad, as I’m sure the view from the top is lovely!

Gothic window

I found the scrolling Gothic window decorations to be particularly graceful and beautiful; such details are everywhere in the cathedral.

Mosaic

Fancy mosaic

A large mosaic of the Last Judgement crowns the three-arched side entrance, through which Bohemian kings used to enter to be coronated.

Crowds

Many nooks and alcoves have statues or detailed relief carvings in them (God In An Alcove, anyone?), depicting typical-looking Catholic scenes.

Angels

Gothic spires galore

St. Vitus Cathedral is a must-visit, especially if you can catch it when the crowds are thinned out. Since the castle grounds (but not the insides) are open late, it’s a nice place for a night stroll, and the architecture is gorgeous.

Prague index:

Filed under: Architecture, Photography, Travel

Prague, Part 21: Wordless Wednesday – St. Vitus Cathedral gargoyles

Adam R. Paul — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:00:58 +0000

Prague index:

Filed under: Architecture, Photography, Travel

Prague, Part 20: Toy Museum

Adam R. Paul — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:30:41 +0000

Incongruously located next to the heavily-touristed “Golden Lane” in Prague Castle is the Toy and Barbie Museum. It’s apparently the second-largest museum of its kind in the world. I cannot imagine that there is too much competition in that area, but one never knows….

For 60CZK (about US$3), it’s a welcome break from the medieval grandeur of the rest of the palace.

The museum is located in the Old Count’s Chambers, a grand old building. The first floor features some cool vintage toys from back when toys were made of real materials and meant to last.

Displays are quite well-done overall, with many groupings of cheezy characters, witness the stern bunnies below:

Although nearby Golden Lane (which we did not visit) is very crowded with tourists, the Toy Museum wasn’t too bad, with only a handful of people in each room.

The entire second level of the museum is dedicated to all things Barbie, from Barbie #1 (below) to pregnant Barbie (farther below) to a couture Barbie designed by Bob Mackie (yet farther below). As I have little to say about Barbie, I will let the photos do the remainder of the talking:

This quirky museum is worth checking out, even though it has absolutely nothing at all to do with Prague Castle.

Prague index:

Filed under: Photography, Travel

Prague, Part 19: Schwarzenberský palác (Schwarzenberg Palace)

Adam R. Paul — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:00:24 +0000

Near the main entrance to Prague Castle is the intricately-frescoed Schwarzenberg Palace.

Schwarzenberg Palace exterior

The whole exterior, including both sides of the courtyard walls, is covered in an intricate pattern, made by applying plaster to a wall, and then scratching it away before it sets. I later learned this is called sgraffito – many buildings in Prague use this decorative style, but none I saw did so on such a grand scale as this building:

(click any image below for a larger version)

Segway tourists

Our interest piqued by it’s impressive sgraffito exterior, we decided to check it out and take a break from the tourist-heavy grounds of the castle proper.

Cherub w/cross

Schwarzenberg Palace houses the Old Masters collection of the Czech National Gallery, and it was nearly empty when we visited. Note though that although photography is permitted, I had to leave my camera bag, and Sarah her purse, in a locker at the front desk, which I wasn’t thrilled about.

Licky, licky

The collection was only of moderate interest to me, as I can only look at so much medieval Christian art before my eyes start to glaze over. It was all obviously of good quality, though, and we enjoyed walking around the lovely building itself.

Renaissance fan

More interesting was the collection, downstairs, of textiles and silver, comprised of gowns, fans, serving ware, and the like.

An early spork!

It’s interesting how very different the clothing fashions were then, but how similar the utensils are to now. I guess a fork & spoon are pretty hard to improve on. Unless you’re using chopsticks, of course.

St. Peter(?) painting

After a few more galleries of stern-looking saints and cherubic, um, cherubs, we’d seen our fill (and most of the collection).

Angel panting

The interior collection of Schwarzenberg Palace can be skipped unless you have a particular interest in 16-18th century art (in which case you should definitely go), but it was inexpensive, and a nice break from the much-more-crowded buildings of the Prague Castle complex.

Prague index:

Filed under: Architecture, Photography, Travel