Monday, October 18, 2010

Day 29- Disco Toilet

Disco Toilet at the movie theater with reflective metallic wallpaper was an experience...

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Friday, October 15, 2010

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Day 25-Staroměstské Náměstí

Staroměstské Náměstí (Old Town Square) is magical...
It features various architectural styles including the gothic Týn Cathedral and baroque St. Nicholas Church. Among many churches, the Astronomical Clock is located on this square, and the tower at the Old Town Hall offers a panoramic view of Old Town.
The square's center is home to a statue of religious reformer Jan Hus, who for his beliefs was burned at the stake in Constance. The statue known as the Jan Hus Memorial was erected on July 6, 1915 to mark the 500th anniversary of his death.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Day 24- Dancing House

The Rasin Building, also known as the Dancing House or the Fred and Ginger Building, designed by Frank Gehry.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Day 23-Babies in Prague

David Černý (born December 15, 1967 in Prague) is a Czech sculptor whose works can be seen in many locations in Prague. His works tend to be controversial. He gained notoriety in 1991 by painting a Soviet tank pink that served as a war memorial in central Prague. As the Monument to Soviet tank crews was still a national cultural monument at that time, his act of civil disobedience was considered "hooliganism" and he was briefly arrested.
Another of Černý's conspicuous contributions to Prague is "Tower Babies," a series of cast figures of crawling infants attached to Žižkov Television Tower.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Day 22- Macarons

A macaron is a sweet confectionery. Its name is derived from an Italian word "maccarone" or "maccherone". This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond paste which is the principal ingredient.[1] It is meringue-based: made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and both granulated and confectionery sugar.
The confectionery is characterized by its smooth, domed top, ruffled circumference (referred to as the "foot"), flat base, mildly moist and easily melted into mouths.[2] Connoisseurs prize a delicate, egg shell-like crust that yields to a moist and airy interior. The macaron is commonly filled with a buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two macaron cookies.
Macarons can be found in a wide variety of flavors that range from the traditional (raspberry, chocolate) to the new (truffle, green matcha tea).[3] Since the English word macaroon can also refer to the Coconut macaroon, many have adopted the French spelling of macaron to distinguish the two items in the English language. However, this has caused confusion over the correct spelling of the cookie. Some recipes exclude the use of macaroon' to refer to this French confection while others think that they are synonym.[4]

Day 21- Gargoyle

In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building. Preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls is important because running water erodes the mortar between the stone blocks.[1] Architects often used multiple gargoyles on buildings to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize the potential damage from a rainstorm. A trough is cut in the back of the gargoyle and rainwater typically exits through the open mouth. Gargoyles are usually an elongated fantastic animal because the length of the gargoyle determines how far water is thrown from the wall. When Gothic flying buttresses were used, aqueducts were sometimes cut into the buttress to divert water over the aisle walls.
The term originates from the French gargouille, originally "throat" or "gullet";[2] cf. Latin gurgulio, gula, gargula ("gullet" or "throat") and similar words derived from the root gar, "to swallow", which represented the gurgling sound of water (e.g., Spanish garganta, "throat"; Spanish gárgola,gargariser, which means "to gargle."[3] The Italiandoccione o gronda sporgente, an architecturally precise phrase which means "protruding gutter." The German word for gargoyle is Wasserspeier, which means "water spitter." The Dutch word for gargoyle is waterspuwer, which means "water spitter" or "water vomiter." A building that has gargoyles on it is "gargoyled." "gargoyle"). It is also connected to the French verb word for gargoyle is
A grotesque figure is a sculpture that does not work as a waterspout and serves only an ornamental or artistic function. These are also usually called gargoyles in layman's terminology,[2] although the field of architecture usually preserves the distinction between gargoyles (functional waterspouts) and non-waterspout grotesques.
Gargoyles are said to scare off and protect from any evil or harmful spirits.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Day 20- Chateau Sainte Roseline

Day 19-Vines

Day 18- Arch

An arch is a structure that spans a space while supporting weight (e.g. a doorway in a stone wall). Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.
The semicircular arch was followed in Europe by the pointed Gothic arch or ogive whose centreline more closely followed the forces of compression and which was therefore stronger. The semicircular arch can be flattened to make an elliptical arch as in the Ponte Santa Trinita. The parabolic and catenary arches are now known to be the theoretically strongest forms. Parabolic arches were introduced in construction by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, who admired the structural system of Gothic style, but for the buttresses, which he termed “architectural crutches”. The catenary and parabolic arches carry all horizontal thrust to the foundation and so do not need additional elements.
The horseshoe arch is based on the semicircular arch, but its lower ends are extended further round the circle until they start to converge. The first known built horseshoe arches are known from Aksum (modern day Ethiopia and Eritrea) from around the 3rd–4th century, around the same time as the earliest contemporary examples in Roman Syria, suggesting either an Aksumite or Syrian origin for the type of arch.[1][page needed]

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Day 17- French Dog

Day 17- French dog having coffee

Day 16- Moustiers Sainte Marie

Day 16- Village of Moustiers Saint Marie in Haute Provence
The name Moustiers comes from monastery, recalling the original caves inhabited by monks from the 5th century to the first Moorish invasions of the 8th century. After the crusades of the Middle Ages, the village began to prosper thanks to the numerous mills powered by the abundant spring: oil, flour and paper mills, tanneries and other local industries. After enduring the hardships of religion wars, plagues and catastrophic landslides, Moustiers flourishes once again and becomes one of the largest production centers of earthenware.

Day 15- Paella

Day 15- Spanish dish Paella prepared in France by my Czech Aunt Lenka