The Theatre of Epidaurus, and yes you can sit in the very back row of the theatre and clearly hear the conversations on the stage. The theatre was built in the 4th Century BCE, about 2400 years ago, and is part of the massive healing sanctuary of Epidaurus, the best in the classical world.
The theatre is still in use, and has seating for about 14000. Tickets are available here.
Ok firstly, this is almost certainly not the actual grave of Agamemnon. Agamemnon was the king of Mycenae and is most famous for his role in the sacking of Troy told to us in the Iliad by Homer (a book you really should read – I recommend Lattimore or Lombardo’s translations). But it is undoubtably the tomb of a king, and probably a king that pre-dates Agamemnon.
The door to this tholos tomb (beehive tomb) measures over 5m tall, the lintel above the door, which weigh over 100tons each!
We will never know who was burried there, but it is a remarkable place to visit.
The Lion Gate was the main entrance of Mycenae. It is over 3200 years old. Agamemnon, the Mycenae king and hero in the Iliad by Homer would have walked through this gate to start his travels to fight in Troy, and it was in Mycenae that upon returning from surviving a 10 year war in Troy he was murdered by his wife.
It is a massive structure and a remarkable feeling to trace the footsteps of people that have featured so much in the Greek epics.
Recently I posted a picture of the Chapel on the Water just outside Krakow. Here is an alternative processing of the same picture. I quite like the black & white look. What do you think?
This is the chapel of the cathedral in the Wieliczka Saltmine, Krakow. The mine is so deep that the workers built homes in the mines (the mine is just over 300m deep; by modern standards it is not deep at all, but at the time that was a long way down), and being religious people they needed places to pray. So they build a cathedral under the ground. This is the front of the cathedral, the “choir” from where the services were conducted.
Just look at this beautiful library. Doesn’t it make you wants to browse those shelves to find a good book, pour yourself a good brandy, and to sit quietly and disappear in a good book.
Muizenberg Train Station. Today is one of those strange days where the weather is not quite sure what it is going to do.
An HDR shot of the The Palace of Science and Technology in Warsaw. I love the way the top of the tower pokes into the dark thunder clouds, just waiting for the lightning bolt. Although that is an artifact of the HDR processing; if you look closely at the people in the foreground most of them are in summer clothing.
I saw this strange building on the main road into Zakopane, and it really interested me. It looks exactly what Guidi would have built if he was an artist in Zakopane instead of in Barcelona. I love the way the two architectural styles are so seamlessly blended in this building.
If you want to find out more about the house (and are willing to read Polish or at least use Google translate), here is an interesting interview.
By the way, they say that the best camera is the one in your hand. I shot this with my phone and the processed it in Photomatix afterwards.
One Comment