The fortified church in Bazna

The village of Bazna (“Baaßen” in German and “Bázna” in Hungarian) is technically a commune comprised of three villages: Bazna, Boian and Velt. Settled by Saxons in the 13th century, the land was great not only for agriculture but also gave forth natural gas and springs of water containing salt and iodine.

The fortified church you’re about to see in my photographs was built in the 15th century. A hundred years or so later, it gained the surrounding fortified walls and defense tower. You’ll find an oddity in that tower: it’s also a bell tower and it has three bells made sometime between the 14-15th century. That’s not something often seen in Transilvania, where most of the bells were melted to make weapons during WWI.

The church has a caretaker and is well-maintained, which is more (much more) than can be said for most of the other fortified churches in Transilvania.

Enjoy the photographs! I took them in April of 2010.

An old Saxon fortified church dating back to 1504, in the village of Bazna, Transilvania, Romania

A visit to Villa Vizcaya

The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, previously known as Villa Vizcaya, is the former villa and estate of businessman James Deering, of the Deering McCormick-International Harvester fortune. It’s located on Biscayne Bay, in the present day Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida. Deering used Vizcaya as his winter residence from 1916 until his death in 1925.

The estate property originally consisted of 180 acres of shoreline mangrove swamps and dense inland native tropical forests. The villa was built primarily between 1914 and 1922, at a cost of $15,000,000, while the construction of the extensive elaborate Italian Renaissance gardens and the village continued into 1923.

The estate’s name refers to the northern Spanish province Vizcaya (In English Biscay), in the Basque region along the east Atlantic’s Bay of Biscay, as ‘Vizcaya’ is on the west Atlantic’s Biscayne Bay. Records indicate Deering wished the name also to commemorate an early Spaniard named Vizcaya who he thought explored the area, although later he was corrected that the explorer’s name was Sebastián Vizcaíno. Deering used the Caravel, a type of ship style used during the ‘Age of Exploration’, as the symbol and emblem of Vizcaya. A representation of the mythical explorer “Bel Vizcaya” welcomes visitors at the entrance to the property.

Vizcaya is noteworthy for adapting historical European aesthetic traditions to South Florida’s subtropical ecoregion. For example; it combined imported French and Italian garden layouts and elements implemented in Cuban limestone stonework with Floridian coral architectural trim and planted with sub-tropic compatible and native plants that thrived in the habitat and climate. Palms and Philodendrons had not been represented in the emulated gardens of Tuscany or Île-de-France.

James Deering died in September 1925 on board the steamship “SS City of Paris” en route back to the United States. After his death Vizcaya was inherited by his two nieces, Marion Chauncey Deering McCormick and Ely Deering McCormick Danielson, and that’s where the tale turns even sadder, at least for me. I do wish heirs could hold on to these grand estates after they inherit them. Surely they also got some money as inheritance. Couldn’t they have become proper stewards of the place? History answers that question with a no. Over the decades, after hurricanes and increasing maintenance costs, they began selling the estate’s surrounding land parcels and outer gardens. In 1945 they sold significant portions of the Vizcaya property to the Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida, to build Miami’s Mercy Hospital. 50 acres (200,000 m2) comprising the main house, the formal gardens, and the village were retained.

In 1952 Miami-Dade County acquired the villa and formal Italian gardens, needing significant restoration, for $1 million. Deering’s heirs donated the villa’s furnishings and antiquities to the County-Museum. Vizcaya began operation in 1953 as the Dade County Art Museum. The village and remaining property were acquired by the County during the mid-1950s. In 1994 the Vizcaya estate was designated as a National Historic Landmark. In 1998, in conjunction with Vizcaya’s reaccreditation process by the American Alliance of Museums, the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust was formed to be the museum’s governing body.

Visitors can now see the villa, estate and surrounding gardens at 3251 S Miami Ave, Miami, FL 33129, USA. You can get tickets and consult visiting hours at the official website.

I have prepared a gallery of 103 photographs we took there, and I hope you enjoy seeing them!

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA.

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya Village, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

A ship carved into a stone emblem. Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Ligia at Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA.

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya Village, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Detail from a leaf. Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA. Nothing says historic glamour like plexiglass screwed on top of the other windows and a rusty ballustrade. I know the place belongs to the NPS now but come on, spruce it up, keep it original!

Vizcaya Village, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Ligia at Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA.

Gulf water underneath mangrove trees, Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA.

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Tiny little orange-red flowers, Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA.

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

An elegant bedroom, lamp glowing softly on the nighstand. Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya Village, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya Village, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Ligia at Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA.

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya Village, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Stone island with statues, Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA.

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya Village, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA.

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, USA

More photos from the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

When I published my original post about our visit to these wonderful gardens in Delray Beach which are dedicated to the hard work of the Japanese farmers in the area, I only included 16 photographs and 1 video clip. I’m not sure why — perhaps because I focused on editing the clip and thought 16 photos was enough — at any rate, it’s time to rectify the situation, so here is a gallery of 67 photographs taken at the Morikami Gardens. Enjoy!

Water drips from a bamboo spout, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Lake, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Turtles sunning themselves on a rock, in a pond at the Morikami Museum, Delray Beach, Florida, USA.

Pine needles, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Wonderful wooden bench, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Pond, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Waterfall, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Ferns, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA. (raoulpop.com)

Zen garden, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

On a rocky lake shore, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Wooden benches below a large tree, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Stream and waterfall, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Garden, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Bamboo tree stalks, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Moss on tree trunk, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Waterfall hidden among trees, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Underneath a bonsai tree branch, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Leaves, macro, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Wonderful path below an arch of tree branches, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Bridge over lake, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Branches frame the view, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Pine trunks and stone lantern, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Stone lantern, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Rock texture, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA

Knotted bonsai tree trunk, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Bridge over lake, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Lake, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Gravesite, George Morikami, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

House on island, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Lake, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Miniature tree, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Wonderful path below an arch of tree branches, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Azalea blossom, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Island in the middle of a pond, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Heron, Morikami Museum, Delray Beach, Florida, USA.

Island in the middle of a pond, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA

Zen garden, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

House on island in middle of lake, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Happy little stream, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Stream, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA

Bridge over lake, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA

Pathway and stairs, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Zen garden, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Cycas revoluta (“King Sago”), a gymnosperm, with Asian cycad scale (Aulacaspis yasumatsui) — a pest — on its leaves. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA

Pond below a waterfall, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

A large green lizard, Morikami Museum, Delray Beach, Florida, USA.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA.

A visit to The Breakers in Palm Beach

Back when we visited the Flagler Museum, we also visited and stayed at The Breakers in Palm Beach, an historic hotel. I honestly thought I’d published these photos long ago but no, I forgot. I did publish a short video clip I filmed on the beach with a new camera I was reviewing at the time, the PEN E-P2.

So… eight years later, here are the photographs I’ve taken at The Breakers. In case you’re interested in the fleeting red light of the setting sun and how it can be used for portraits, there’s a wonderful spot right outside the hotel, on one of the walkways, where it filters through the palm trees and shines on a spot that’s right at face level. You’ll see it in the photos and yes, that is exactly the kind of red light it is, I did not make it redder in post-processing. If you want to catch it, you’ll have to be there watching, because it only lasts for about 10 minutes each evening. Good luck!

Enjoy the photographs!

The Breakers Hotel & Resort, Palm Beach, FL, USA

We found this spot where the red light of the setting sun filtered through the trees and concentrated right at face level. The Breakers Hotel & Resort, Palm Beach, FL, USA

The Breakers Hotel & Resort, Palm Beach, FL, USA

A visit to Las Vegas

Situated in the Mojave Desert, its Spanish name means “The Meadows” because of the wild grasses and desert springs originally found there. An oasis in an otherwise dry and unwelcoming place, it became known to Native Americans over 10,000 years ago. It was discovered by the modern world in 1829, when a young Mexican scout named Rafael Rivera put it on the map. Settlers were slowly but surely drawn there and in 1905, it became a city. In 1911, it was incorporated.

Its growth back then was limited by the small water supply, but in a couple of decades, things were about to change in a big way. The year when Las Vegas came to be known as the place we know it today was 1931, when it legalized gambling and reduced residency requirements for divorce to six weeks. This move was “blessed” later that year when construction on the massive Hoover Dam started nearby. This meant the city now had access to an incredible water supply and it began to grow in spite of the Great Depression, helped by the influx of workers who stayed there to work on the Dam. The workers wanted to have fun when they weren’t working and thus Las Vegas began to gain its reputation as Sin City. After WWII, the big real estate developments began and the Strip as we know it today began to take shape. Hotels, casinos and stores, each bigger, more colorful and more lit than the other, dotted the ever-changing cityscape. And let’s not forget the appearance of heavy-duty, commercial air conditioning units in the 1950s, which can be credited with the tremendous growth in human settlements in what were uninhabitable areas. None of the large real estate developments in any of the hot places in the world would function without air conditioning.

Here is a gallery of photographs I took back in 2010 during a visit to Las Vegas. Drab during the day, its colors washed out by the desert sunlight, this place truly comes alive at night and it stays that way till morning. Throngs of people always crowd its sidewalks and the car traffic slows to a near halt on the Strip due to gawkers. If you’re going to visit, I recommend you do it during the cooler seasons (autumn, winter or spring). Visit the shops and museums during the daytime and save your evenings for walking around on the Strip and taking in the lights and the entertainment. It is unlike anything on Earth at night. The place screams abundance and availability of anything and everything. It is the pinnacle of consumerism. While I was there, I got a clear sense that everything you could want was readily available. Ads are everywhere, for every thing. All of the luxury brands have a visible presence there. Every big hotel has its own shopping mall inside, exquisitely decorated, lit to perfection and air conditioned to keep you comfy and happy. Restaurants are everywhere. Bars are everywhere. Should you want to go outside, hustlers on the sidewalk hand you phone numbers for “entertainers” of all sorts. Young women invite you into the casinos. Big LED panels flash ads at you non-stop. The buildings are all lit to perfection, to accentuate their architecture and make them stand out and draw you in. You will get visually and mentally overwhelmed by it all, so be ready for that. As I said above, I took these photos in 2010. The city has changed yet again since then. Some places already look different. Frequent change is the only constant there.

Enjoy the photographs!

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

In the foreground, commuter airplanes for Area 51 staff — or so the guide claimed — Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

A large intersection on the Strip, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

City Place, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Treasure Island Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Mandalay Bay Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Luxor Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Mandalay Bay Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Palazzo Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

City Place, Las Vegas, NV, USA

The famous Las Vegas welcome sign, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

On the Strip at night, Las Vegas, NV, USA

City Place, Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Palazzo Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Palazzo Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

City Place, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Mandalay Bay Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Palazzo Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

MGM Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

South Point Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

New York Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Palazzo Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

The Strip, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Mandalay Bay Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

On the Strip, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Aria Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Palazzo Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA.

Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

The Strip, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Belaggio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Springtime in our garden

Spring has arrived and that means it’s time for my annual gallery of photographs from our garden. This is the sixth edition mind you, so it has become somewhat of a tradition for me. I hope you have a cup of tea or coffee ready — if you don’t, go get one — because there are 131 photographs for you to see. There’s also something different from previous years: I’ve taken most of the photos with my Olympus gear, particularly with my PEN E-P5 and the new lenses I bought for it. This equipment is so light and so responsive it feels like I’m almost cheating when I use it. And there’s no compromise in image quality. I love it. Enjoy the photographs!

Primula and other assorted plants and flowers

$A lovely fractal$

Daisies starting to close their petals for the day

A focus stack

The petals on the lower daisy have been partially eaten by a snail

These flowers just love to spring up on the garden path instead of sticking to the tended grounds. Also notice the itsy-bitsy spider hiding behind the shrub in the foreground.