The Ruined Mayans City of Chichen Itza continue… September 22, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Accommodation, Central America, Destination, Hotels, Mexico, Museum, New York, Sightseeing, Tour, Trails, Trip , 3commentsThe Caracol (the name means ’snail’ because of the structure’s appearance and interior winding staircase) exemplifies this involvement with Venus in particular and the heavens in general. The structure consists of a cylindrical tower on a two-tiered rectangular platform, and it was probably Mayan originally with later Toltec- influenced additions. The upper part of the tower has crumbled, giving an appearance coincidentally reminiscent of modern domed observatories. This probably helped speculation over a long period about possible astronomical aspects to the building. Some of this speculation has been shown by fairly recent research to be wrong, but Anthony Aveni can now claim that Chichen Itza is one of ‘the most secure examples of the incorporation of a horizon-based astronomy in architecture’: (more…)
Geomantic feature of the ancient Tower of London, Secret face of Britain’s Capital City August 22, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Accommodation, Air Tickets, Airlines, Destination, France, Hotels, Ireland, London, Sightseeing, Tour, Trails , 3commentsMost people today think of the Tower as the sinister place built by William the Conqueror where prisoners were kept and tortured, and where illustrious heads rolled, including those of Sir Thomas More, Sir Walter Raleigh, Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey. Over the centuries, in addition to being such a notorious place of confinement, the Tower has served as a garrison, a palace, a zoo, a mint and an observatory. The Tower continues to house the Crown Jewels and other royal regalia, but this important spot in London’s geography goes back much further, and is referred to in the medieval Welsh texts known collectively as The Mabinogion, which record themes much older. To the Celtic Britons, the site on which the Tower stands was Bryn Gwyn, the White Mount, ‘White‘ meaning holy. The White Tower, the central keep of the site and the original part of the structure to be built, recalls this appellation. (more…)
France World Heritage Chartres Cathedral part 2 August 11, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Europe, Jerusalem, London, Middle East, Rail Pass, Sightseeing, Tour, Trails, Trip , 3commentsCharpentier felt that was a link between the Ark and Chartres forged by the mysterious Order of the Knights Templar. He questioned the immediacy with which Gothic architecture appeared, particularly Chartres, and how it was concurrent with the Romanesque style, not deriving from it. How could it spring up so readily? There must have been a school from which the master builders emerged, Charpentier reasoned. (more…)
Windsor Castle: A fortress gradually converted into the residence of Kings May 24, 2008
Posted by dodo in : France, London , add a commentWindsor Castle is a unique combination of a fortress, royal palace, a tomb of kings and queens and a glorious church in which the ideals of Christian chivalry are cherished and kept alive. This diversification of purpose is a fortuitous development, for it was as a stronghold to secure the western approaches to London that the Normans first chose this commanding site on a chalk outcrop above the Thames. The precise date of the construction of the first fortifications is not known, but Windsor Castle is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 when it probably consisted of no more than the central keep, an artificial chalk mound fifty feet high surmounted by a wooden blockhouse. There were doubtless outlying palisades which would give adequate protection in an assault until the garrison could be mustered in the keep, where a deep well (still to be seen under the floor of a room in the Round Tower) would enable the defenders to withstand a siege. (more…)
The Royal Palace Monaco: A Mediterranean fortress transformed into a gracious house part 2 May 5, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Accommodation, Air Tickets, Airlines, Beach Resorts, Destination, England, France, Library, London, Memorial, Monaco, Museum , add a commentThere were three towers along the main wing where the lords lived: St Mary’s Tower, the Middle Tower and the South Tower. To the right a round building guarded the entrance to the castle, for military strength was still its main purpose. As artillery improved, the art of defence was modified to meet the new threat. Honores new system of defence was based on two main points, All Saints Tower and the Serravalle Bastion. The first, of semi-circular shape, guarded the end of the rocky promontary. It had a platform for guns and was connected to shelters, hacked out of the rock, in which cannon were also placed. Underground passages connected it with the Serravalle Bastion, which consisted of three storeys of vaulted casemates, and which was likewise armed with guns. (more…)
