Red bottlebrush flower (Callistemon citrinus)
Callistemon is a genus of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae, first described as a genus in 1814. The entire genus is endemic to Australia but widely cultivated in many other regions and naturalized in scattered locations.
Callistemon species are commonly referred to as bottlebrushes because of their cylindrical, brush like flowers resembling a traditional bottle brush.
Callistemons can be propagated either by cuttings (some species more easily than others), or from the seeds. Flowering is normally in spring and early summer
More info in Wikipedia
Red bottlebrush flower (Callistemon citrinus)
bins and strange shadows
sometimes the simplest things, offer surprising insights
sometimes, just sometimes
Flying In The Sky
I Am Flying In The Sky – Poem by Chesa Sake
I am flying in the air.
I am flying by the sun.
I will reach for the sky.
And fly above the sun.
I am going high.
I am reaching the limit.
I will fly.
Above the sky.
I will meat you there.
I will sore through the clouds.
I will brake through the door.
I will find you there.
Right by the door.
And you said.
Lets fly high.
Above the sky.
Plese do not ligh.
Lets go flying.
In the sky.
Chesa Sake
Bentley car
I found this wonderful car on a trip to Berlin and did not hesitate to photograph it. Not only was an incredible luxury car, but his body was decorated in the original way that draws attention. Precious car to turn heads in any circumstances …
Bentley Motors Limited is a British luxury automaker, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the German company Volkswagen AG. Its principal activity is the design, engineering, manufacture, and distribution of luxury automobiles sold under the Bentley marque. Based in Crewe, England, Bentley Motors Limited was founded by W. O. Bentley on 18 January 1919 in Cricklewood near London and was acquired by Rolls-Royce in 1931.
Bentley Motors Limited is the direct successor of Rolls-Royce Motors, which Volkswagen AG purchased in 1998.
Bentley car
This post has been featured
on Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge.
Thanks to Cee for appreciating my photos!
Walking down the street
Walking down the street
I have posted two different versions of each photo, the second is a monochrome HDR. Photos with high dynamic range give a different view of the same scene that sometimes makes them very interesting.
The images were taken in La Rambla. Barcelona
Walking down the street
Walking down the street
sailing under the rain in Venice
This picture was taken a rainy day in the waters of this wonderful city that is Venice.
I was curious to see these Venetian sailing with their umbrellas in the rain.
Venice is a city in northeastern Italy sited on a group of 117 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges and certainly its inhabitants seem accustomed to water wherever it comes …
sailing under the rain in Venice
Balcony
Rustic balcony of a rural house in the village of Rupit
Balcony detail
Rupit is a municipality in the comarca of Osona (Barcelona province) in Catalonia.
If traditional rainfed agriculture (cereals, legumes, potatoes, corn and fodder) and livestock (cattle and pigs) were the foundations of the economy, today tourism, attracted by the quaintness of the town, is the main source rich with a multitude of shops and restaurants that host numerous visitors and summer weekend.
Rupit. Catalonia
Bullfight in Seville
Bullfight in a farmhouse near Seville captured in April during festivals in the city. Naturally, I tried not to get too close. Each of these animals weights more than 500 kilograms (half a ton) and this day they do not seem very friendly …
As can be seen the fight get up enough dust …
The Spanish Fighting Bull (Toro Bravo) is an Iberian heterogeneous cattle population. It is primarily bred free-range on extensive estates in Spain, Portugal and Latin American countries where bull fighting is organized. Fighting bulls are selected primarily for a certain combination of aggression, energy, strength, and stamina.
As I said in another post I do not like bullfighting, fortunately prohibited by popular demand in Catalonia.
More info about the Spanish Fighting Bull in Wikipedia
Post for the Weekly Photo Challenge: Motion
Louvre Pyramid
The Louvre Pyramid (Pyramide du Louvre) is a large glass and metal pyramid, surrounded by three smaller pyramids, in the main courtyard (Cour Napoléon) of the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre) in Paris. The large pyramid serves as the main entrance to the Louvre Museum. Completed in 1989, it has become a landmark of the city of Paris.
Commissioned by the President of France François Mitterrand in 1984, it was designed by the architect I. M. Pei. The structure, which was constructed entirely with glass segments, reaches a height of 21.6 metres (about 71 feet); its square base has sides of 35 metres (115 ft). It consists of 603 rhombus-shaped and 70 triangular glass segments.
The pyramid structure was engineered by Nicolet Chartrand Knoll Ltd. of Montreal (Pyramid structure / Design Consultant) and Rice Francis Ritchie (also known as RFR) of Paris (Pyramid Structure / Construction Phase).
The pyramid and the underground lobby beneath it were created because of a series of problems with the Louvre’s original main entrance, which could no longer handle the enormous number of visitors on an everyday basis. Visitors entering through the pyramid descend into the spacious lobby then re-ascend into the main Louvre buildings
Louvre Pyramid
The construction of the pyramid triggered a considerable amount of controversy because many people felt that the futuristic edifice looked quite out of place in front of the Louvre Museum with its classical architecture. Certain detractors ascribed a “Pharaonic complex” to Mitterrand. Others lauded the juxtaposition of contrasting architectural styles as a successful merger of the old and the new, the classical and the ultra-modern.
The main pyramid is actually the largest of several glass pyramids that were constructed near the museum, including the downward-pointing La Pyramide Inversée that functions as a skylight in an underground shopping complex in front of the museum. During the design phase, there was a proposal that the design include a spire on the pyramid to simplify window washing. This proposal was eliminated because of objections from I. M. Pei.
More in Wikipedia
Roses
La Diada de Sant Jordi (Saint George’s Day), also known as El Dia de la Rosa (The Day of the Rose) or El Dia del Llibre (The Day of the Book) is a Catalan holiday held on 23 April, with similarities to Valentine’s Day and some unique twists that reflect the antiquity of the celebrations. The main event is the exchange of gifts between sweethearts, loved ones and colleagues. Historically, men gave women roses, and women gave men a book to celebrate the occasion — “a rose for love and a book forever.” In modern times, the mutual exchange of books is also customary. Roses have been associated with this day since medieval times, but the giving of books is a more recent tradition originating in 1923, when a bookseller started to promote the holiday as a way to commemorate the nearly simultaneous deaths of Miguel Cervantes and William Shakespeare on 23 April 1616. Barcelona is the publishing capital of both Catalan and Spanish languages and the combination of love and literacy was quickly adopted.
La Rambla. St. George’s Day
In Barcelona’s most visited street, La Rambla, and all over Catalonia, thousands of stands of roses and makeshift bookstalls are set up for the occasion. By the end of the day, some four million roses and 800,000 books will have been purchased. Most women will carry a rose in hand, and half of the total yearly book sales in Catalonia take place on this occasion.
Roses
Books. St. George’s Day
The sardana, the national dance of Catalonia, is performed throughout the day in the Plaça Sant Jaume in Barcelona. Many book stores and cafes host readings by authors (including 24-hour marathon readings of different classics of Catalan literature or Spanish literature). Street performers and musicians in public squares add to the day’s atmosphere.
Bookstore. La Rambla. St. George’s Day
Bookstore. La Rambla. St. George’s Day
Women with her Rose
23 April is also one of only three days a year when the Palau de la Generalitat, Barcelona’s principal government building, is open to the public. The interior is decorated with roses to honour Saint George.
Bringing the rose to his girl
A girl with her rose
A bookseller advising customers
23 April is also one of only three days a year when the Palau de la Generalitat, Barcelona’s principal government building, is open to the public. The interior is decorated with roses to honour Saint George.
More info: Wikipedia
Rose
Early Bird
“At sunrise everything is luminous but not clear.”
Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories
“What breaks in daybreak? Is it the night? Is it the sun, cracked in two by the horizon like an egg, spilling out light?”
Margaret Atwood
Early Bird
“There’s a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they’re absolutely free. Don’t miss so many of them.”
Jo Walton
Mallard duck
Mallard duck
Mallard duck
The mallard or wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands and South Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae.
These ones have been seen in a little town in Catalonia.
The male birds (drakes) have a glossy green head and are grey on wings and belly, while the females have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are gregarious. This species is the ancestor of most breeds of domestic ducks
More info: Wikipedia
bCL Photography 