Mafra's Baroque royal palace

The words "massive," "monumental," "gigantic," "colossal," and "vast" fail to describe the scale of Mafra's Baroque royal palace. The grandiose monument was built in 1717 to celebrate the birth of a daughter to King João V and includes a convent and a basilica.

The extravagant king wanted the palace and basilica to compete in magnificence and grandeur with Spain's Escorial and St. Peter's in Rome, and at the time it seemed that such a huge project would never be completed. At one point there were 45,000 men working on it, and several artists came from abroad, with 7,000 soldiers overseeing the workforce. They ended up creating 5,200 doorways, 2,500 windows, 880 halls and rooms, 154 staircases, 29 courtyards, and two bell towers boasting the world's largest collection of bells (57 in each) that can be heard for 24km (15 miles) when they're played on Sunday.

In 1720 the French ambassador reported to his king that all the money in Iberia would be insufficient to pay for it, but the gold that flowed in from the rich mines of Brazil made it possible in 1735.

Strength

Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not.

Make it your strength.

 Then it can never be your weakness.

 Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.
- George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

 

 



Place of cult

Rules for Living

Do not worry,
eat three square meals a day,
say your prayers,
be courteous to your creditors,
keep your digestion good,
steer clear of biliousness, exercise, go slow and go easy.
Maybe there are other things that your special case requires to make you happy, but, my friend, these, I reckon, will give you a good life.

- A.L.

Batalha Monastery II

It was built in 1388 after King João I made a vow to the Virgin that he would build a magnificent monastery if she granted him a victory over the Castillians in the Battle of Aljubarrota.

Batalha Monastery I

Batalha's Abbey is one of Europe's greatest Gothic masterpieces and is protected as a World Heritage monument.

Bangkok, City of Angels

The word "Wat" in Thai means a Buddhist temple and amongst the more than 3,000 Wats in Thailand, "the Temple of the Dawn" is one of the most important.

"Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahawihan" to give the temple it's full name, abbreviated to Wat Arun for short. Wat Arun was dedicated to the Indian God of Dawn, Aruna, the temple is aptly called "the Temple of the Dawn" because of the irridescent reflection of the sun on it's surface in the early morning. However, the Wat is best viewed in early evening as the sun sets.

The Temple of the Dawn

The Wat consists of a central "prang" with four smaller "prangs" at the four corners of the central "prang". A "prang" is a spire that towers the Wat. Religious-wise, spires were a favorite architectural detail as it express man’s quest to reach out to their gods and heavens.

The main "prang" is approximately 100 meters tall and heavily decorated by bits of porcelain which came from the porcelain ballasts used by Chinese traders. The "prang’s" uniquely blended Thai and Khmer architecture is a sight to behold.

The temple’s main prang is said to be a representation of Mount Meru, the center of the world in Buddhist philosophy. The four lesser prangs represent the four elements: "air, water, wind and fire". One of the smaller prangs has the sculpture of the god of wind, Pai.The main center prang has in its top a seven-thronged trident, the trident of Shiva, the supreme god in Hinduism. 

A symbol of the Age of Discovery

Belém Tower

Built in 1515 as a fortress to guard the entrance to Lisbon's harbor, the Belem Tower was the starting point for many of the voyages of discovery, and for the sailors it was the last sight of their homeland.





It is a monument to Portugal's Age of Discovery, often serving as a symbol of the country, and UNESCO has listed it as a World Heritage monument.

Built in the Manueline style, it incorporates many stonework motifs of the Discoveries, sculptures depicting historical figures such as St. Vincent and an exotic rhinoceros that inspired Dürer's drawing of the beast.

The architect, Francisco de Arruda, had previously worked on Portuguese fortifications in Morocco, so there are also Moorish-style watchtowers and other Moorish influences. Facing the river are arcaded windows, delicate Venetian-style loggias, and a statue of Our Lady of Safe Homecoming, a symbol of protection for sailors on their voyages.

It is a reminder of the great maritime discoveries that laid the foundations of the modern world.

Visões

Torre de Belém - Lisboa - Portugal

Ao erguermos a vista, não vemos fronteiras.

~ditado japonês~

Reach the sky

Aim for the stars and maybe
you'll reach the sky

Baphuon

Baphuon - Angkor - Cambodia

The Baphuon is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia. It is located in Angkor Thom, northwest of the Bayon. Built in the mid-11th century, it is a three-tiered temple mountain built as the state temple of Udayadityavarman II dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva but in the late 15th century, the Baphuon was converted to a Buddhist temple. The temple was built on land filled with sand, and due to its immense size the site was unstable throughout its history.

By the 20th century, much of the temple had largely collapsed, and restoration efforts have since proven problematic: a first effort begun in 1960 was interrupted by the coming to power of the Khmer Rouge, and records of the positions of the stones were lost. A second attempt started in 1995 by a team of French-led archeologists as of 2005 was still ongoing, restricting visitor access. As of November 2010, partial visitor access was once again allowed, though not to the central structure.

In April 2011, after 51 years, the archaeologists finished the restoration of the temple which was inaugurated on July 3, 2011.

Ups...

 “The key to change… is to let go of fear.” – Rosanne Cash

The more you can let go of fear, the faster you will grow. I’m not talking about eliminating fear or being fearless. When I think about letting go of fear, I think about acknowledging it and letting it be there. There’s nothing wrong with being afraid.

- Henry -

Mosteiro da Batalha - Portugal

Ta Prohm or Lara Croft Temple

Unlike most of the temples of Angkor, Ta Prohm has been largely left to the clutches of the living jungle.

With its dynamic interaction between nature and man-made art, this atmospheric temple is a favorite for many - who can't help but feel a little like Indiana Jones or Lara Croft (which was filmed here) as they pick through the rubble.

Construction on Ta Prohm began in 1186 AD. Originally known as Rajavihara (Monastery of the King), Ta Prohm was a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of King Jayavarman VII.

A rare inscription at Ta Prohm provides statistics on the temple's workers. Allowing for some exaggeration to honor the king, the inscription's report of around 80,000 workers, including 2700 officials and 615 dancers, is still astounding.

Sadly, Ta Prohm was looted quite heavily in recent years due to its relative isolation, and many of its ancient stone reliquaries have been lost.

Great trees tower above Ta Prohm, their leaves filtering the sunlight, providing welcome shade and casting a greenish light over the otherwordly site. Delicately carved reliefs on the walls sprout lichen, moss and creeping plants.

Some as wide as an oak tree, the vines at Ta Prohm cleave massive stones in two and spill over the top of temple ramparts. The effect is striking, especially at the strangulating root formation on the inside of the easternmost gopura (entrance pavilion). Another popular site is the "Tomb Raider tree" in the central sanctuary, where Angelina Jolie picked a jasmine flower and was sucked beneath the earth.

Ta Prohm is extensively ruined, but you can still explore numerous towers, close courtyards and narrow corridors, discovering hidden gems of stone reliefs beneath the encroaching foliage. Many of the corridors are impassible, thanks to the jumbled piles of carved stone blocks that clog their interiors.

There are 39 towers at Ta Prohm, which are connected by numerous galleries. Visitors are no longer permitted to climb onto the crumbling galleries, due to the potential damage to both temple and visitor.