Photo downloaded from Flikr.
There’s a beautiful Capuchin Friary right near my apartment in Dublin. The wooden ceiling is spectacular. The photos I have on hand right now don’t do the place justice, so I’ve included two that I found on line as well.
Photo downloaded from WikiMedia.
Sketching in Luxembourg Gardens
Pam Eddy and I attended the World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (WASET) International Conference on Higher Education yesterday. We each presented a paper. When the activities wound up, we headed out in different directions. Pam went to hear a lecture at UNESCO that she’s received a special invitation to attend and I went to study the architecture of Paris.
I sketched in the Luxembourg Gardens and in a church that I’d discovered two days before.
Pam and I met back up for dinner with Pam’s husband Dave. After dinner, we strolled through central Paris–discussing things we’d concluded about the city on our earlier explorations.
An evening reflection from Arrondissement 9 in Paris….
Paris reflection
The Roman aqueduct, Pont du Gard, lights up once a year for just four nights. And thanks to Hampton University’s Prof. Mason Andrews, I’ve had the chance to see the animated light show twice… once in 2010 (the first year such an event occurred) and now again in 2013.
The 2010 show depicted the history of France. The 2013 show was titled Ulysses the Pirate. The event planners (F Group) expanded the effects significantly over the years–they have added many new pyrotechnics.
This year’s production included some of my favorite animate footage from 2010 (illustrating structural characteristics of the Roman water bridge) as well as animated projections onto a nearby building and cliff face.
I’d never been to Uzes, France even though some of my Hampton University architecture students had. Uzes is home of the famous urbanist, Leon Krier, though we didn’t get to meet him there this year. We often use his book, The Architecture of Community, in my Urban Theory class.
Visiting Uzes made for a wonderful day of learning and exploring. I even wrapped with two decent sketches of my own.
Nimes is a beautiful town in southern France that is chock full of Roman artifacts. It’s where I met the Hampton University architecture students, mid-way through their study abroad program in France. I typically organize one of these trips each summer. This year, Prof. Mason Andrews had the whole cohort of third-year architecture students on the trip to France–some years we offer two different trips.
The interior of St. Eustache, in central Paris.
Stephanie Bossert Gupton, a friend from my days at Blacksburg High School who is now a professional photographer, responded to an image I posted on Facebook recently. She asked me to post more, so here’s a start (thanks to a decent internet connection and a day to relax in Paris).
This is a panorama taken inside Paris’ church of St. Eustache.
As you can see, I have a lot of fun with my iPhone!
We’ve had 2-3 weeks of glorious weather here in Dublin. People seemed stunned. A few people even started complaining that it had been 75 degrees for too long. Too hot, some said. And truly, we did have a day of high humidity — almost unknown in this fair city.
The past few days ushered in a return of regular irish weather. In Ireland, experiencing “all four seasons in one day” isn’t unusual.
Above, I’ve uploaded some photos from my stint across town and back today.
The photo below was taken from my seat atop a double-decker bus. It offers a glimpse of Dublin city traffic… and shows you why I don’t bike here more often!
Yes, we ARE passing that truck!
I went on the hunt for lions in Dublin last week, and found plenty to stir my soul! Disney’s theatrical production of the Lion King is energetic and mesmerizing. The costumes and choreography amazed and astounded me.
Opinion is mixed regarding the Dublin City Council building. It’s a hulk of a building, but a fine example of modernism — in the brutalist style. It’s got some nice features, but they obliterated the old Viking settlements to build it. Such a shame.
Ireland by Chance 