The morning of 13 January, my ears in peril, the fingers too, in some ten degrees of frost, I wandered around Letná park, encountering few people, their dogs, some magpies, flights of geese far overhead.
The far north-east corner.
Monday, 9 February 2009
Letenské Sady, close to Nad Štolou
The morning of 13 January, my ears in peril, the fingers too, in some ten degrees of frost, I wandered around Letná park, encountering few people, their dogs, some magpies, flights of geese far overhead.The far north-east corner.
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Letenské Sady, steps north-north-west of the metronome
Vratislav Karel Novák's metronome (1991-) replaced the monument to Stalin (1955-1962) of Otakar Švec and architects Jiří and Vlasta Štursa, built by six hundred workers over the course of five-and-a-half years with 17,000 tonnes of marble, and destroyed seven years later with 800 kg of explosives and 1,650 detonators. The intermediate roles taken on by the marble plinth, left after the statue's destruction, and of the bomb shelter below it, feature rock-and-roll, politicians and high winds, and mushrooms. An aquarium of high altitude is apparently in the offing.
With the metronome behind me, descending the steps:
With the metronome ahead of me, looking up at the steps I descended:
With the metronome behind me, descending the steps:
With the metronome ahead of me, looking up at the steps I descended:
Carrer de Benet Mercadé?
I have lost the record of where this photograph was taken, but believe that it was this street, named after painter of historical and religious scenes Benet Mercadé i Fàbrega (1821-1897). His paintings were influenced by the Nazarene movement, realist in style, and it seems by all accounts that sobriety is their most distinctive feature. In Barcelona he became interested in making daguerrotypes.
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Travessera de Gràcia
26 October.
From Avinguda Diagonal, Travessera de Gràcia cuts through the old streets of Gràcia, skirts across the uppermost edge of the chamfered grid of L'Eixample, and finishes at Domènech i Montaner's Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau (1901-30). The streets it passes are named after Catalan historians, politicians, painters, philosophers, poets, saints, old watercourses ... Jaime Calvet, Felipe Sagués, Eduard Amigó de Lara, Rupert Santaló i Vinyals , Ramon Muntaner de Sesfàbregues, Josep Llovera i Bofill, Bonaventura Carles Aribau i Farriols, Alfons XII, Jaume Llucià Balmes i Urpià, Emperor Augustas, Neptune (Poseidon), the archangel Gabriel, Sant Cristòfol, Pere Serafí, Sant Joaquim father of the Virgin (but also named after Joaquim Mas), human castle builders, a charcoal burning society, Torrent de l'Olla, Maria de los Reyes de la Barre i Díaz de Manso, José María Torrijos, Can Vidalet, Antoni Montmany i Albornà, Joan Blanques, Torrent de les Flors, Joaquim Ruyra i Oms, Hipòlit Lázaro i Higueras, Joan de Coloma, Torrent de Mariner, Ignasi Ventalló i Llobateras, Caterina Nogués i Tapís, the island of Sardinia, the merchant and military navy, the naval battle of the Gulf of Lepanto (or Corinth) in 1571 against the Turks, Juan de Padilla, the valley of Los Castillejos where General Prim fought against the Moroccans the first day of 1860, Cartagena, town in Murcia, capital of the Roman province of Carthaginiensis.
From Avinguda Diagonal, Travessera de Gràcia cuts through the old streets of Gràcia, skirts across the uppermost edge of the chamfered grid of L'Eixample, and finishes at Domènech i Montaner's Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau (1901-30). The streets it passes are named after Catalan historians, politicians, painters, philosophers, poets, saints, old watercourses ... Jaime Calvet, Felipe Sagués, Eduard Amigó de Lara, Rupert Santaló i Vinyals , Ramon Muntaner de Sesfàbregues, Josep Llovera i Bofill, Bonaventura Carles Aribau i Farriols, Alfons XII, Jaume Llucià Balmes i Urpià, Emperor Augustas, Neptune (Poseidon), the archangel Gabriel, Sant Cristòfol, Pere Serafí, Sant Joaquim father of the Virgin (but also named after Joaquim Mas), human castle builders, a charcoal burning society, Torrent de l'Olla, Maria de los Reyes de la Barre i Díaz de Manso, José María Torrijos, Can Vidalet, Antoni Montmany i Albornà, Joan Blanques, Torrent de les Flors, Joaquim Ruyra i Oms, Hipòlit Lázaro i Higueras, Joan de Coloma, Torrent de Mariner, Ignasi Ventalló i Llobateras, Caterina Nogués i Tapís, the island of Sardinia, the merchant and military navy, the naval battle of the Gulf of Lepanto (or Corinth) in 1571 against the Turks, Juan de Padilla, the valley of Los Castillejos where General Prim fought against the Moroccans the first day of 1860, Cartagena, town in Murcia, capital of the Roman province of Carthaginiensis.
Port Meadow, Oxford
From Port Meadow yesterday, a large area of common grazing land by the Thames. The snow here in England almost prolonged my stay in Prague, which, while not an undesirable eventuality, would have meant missing the muted colours that remained after the erasing action of the snow. (In Prague the snow had all but disappeared after a week of English winter weather.)
The standing floodwater was an icy slush - birds knew not whether to try to swim or walk across its surface. 
Friday, 6 February 2009
Petrská 3, Praha 1
A hiatus in the recollections of Barcelona - another city intervenes, from which I have just returned. Presently some time to try to find in the remove of the past these and other places once more. But dimly then, brighter now?
Even singly these two creatures always made me jump upon clearing their metal throats, choking their way into a wavering wobbling hum - growl, rather - declaiming discontent. Together the fans formed an incredibly uproarious duet, setting each other off across the hallway. It was a mercy to switch them off. The bubbling of the hot water pipes could then be heard rumbling in the background, with occasional soft whistles.
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