WOLVIE'S PHOTOBLOG: May 2012

5/31/12

Puerta de Alcalá - Madrid - Spain

The Puerta de Alcalá ("Alcalá Gate"), a Neo-classical monument in the Plaza de la Independencia ("Independence Square") in Madrid, Spain.

Commissioned from king Charles III, has been inaugurated in 1778.

Shot taken just outside of the "Retiro Park".

Statue of Liberty - NYC - USA

The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World; French: La Liberté éclairant le monde) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886.

The statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet.

The statue has become an icon of freedom and of the United States.

Picture taken from Staten Island ferry.

5/30/12

Foggy Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge, one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States.

Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River.

Picture taken in a foggy day from Pier 17 in NYC - USA

5/27/12

Waiting for Reyes - Spain

Western Christianity celebrates the Magi on the day of Epiphany, January 6, the day immediately following the twelve days of Christmas, particularly in the Spanish-speaking parts of the world.

In Spain, the Three Kings ("los Reyes Magos") receive letters from children and so bring them gifts on the night before Epiphany.

Each one of the Magi is supposed to represent one different continent, Europe (Melchior), Asia (Caspar) and Africa (Balthasar).

According to the tradition, the Magi come from the Orient on their camels to visit the houses of all the children; much like Santa Claus with his reindeer, they visit everyone in one night.

This picture has been taken in the Castellana Road in Madrid (Spain) just a few minutes before the parade with the Magi passed by, giving gifts and sweets to the children.

5/26/12

St. Moritz - Switzerland

Skii trip in St. Moritz - Switzerland.

Can't wait to do it again!

5/25/12

Sugar - Close Ups

First attempts to make some close ups pictures. The subjects are big white and brown sugar chunks.

5/24/12

Avila - Spain

Ávila is a Spanish city located in the autonomous community of Castile and León, capital of the province of the same name.

"Ávila de los Caballeros" is an honorific title of the city and others are "Ávila del Rey" and "Ávila de los Leales" which are all present in the flag of the city.

The city is notable for having complete medieval city walls which were built in the Romanesque style. It is also one of the cities with the highest number of Romanesque churches, Gothic churches and catering establishments in relation to the number of its inhabitants.

It is known by many as the city of «Pebbles and Saints». The writer José Martínez Ruiz Azorín, after writing The Castilian Soul, said it was "perhaps the most 16th century city of Spain".