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One week in Washington

I wanted to write an online journal of my brief stay in Washington, but (as usual?) I could just write about it on my very first day in the USA.

So, here it is a very quick photoblog about that week at the end of November.

My second day in the US was Sunday, so I took some time to have a walk in the monumental center of the Capital. This is one of the first things I saw: the statue of a French commander who helped Washington during the American Revolution. His name was Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur de Rochambeau and if take a look at his Wikipedia link you'll discover the guy had a pretty adventurous life.

You can find his statue near the White House, in the Lafayette Garden.

Here it is: the White House. 

While I was there, a anti-AIDS campaign was going on, so the rear side of the house was decorated with a gigantic red ribbon.

Walking on a early sunday morning in the clean air of the President's park, when no car crosses the Constitution Avenue, is pure bliss.  And after a ten minutes walk the impressive Washington memorial obelisk catches your eye. It is the world's tallest obelisk,  with its 555 feet 5⅛ inches (169.294 m).

Behind it, you can see the Capitol building. The photo is taken from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial , which is visually connected to the Capitol and the Washington monumnt by a straight line. You can also see the Reflecting Pool where Forrest Gump made his "speech" when he comes back from the Vietnam. Unfortunately the pool was almost empty, perhaps because of manteinance works.

In the Lincol Memorial, I could see the famous statue of Lincoln, which is basically impressive for its dimension more than its artistic value.

I got a strange sensation looking at it, for it seemed to me that its iconography was more the one of a king than the one I would use for a president.

I also visited the WWII memorial and the Vietnam Veterans memorial monument. Well, between all those so solemn and maybe-too-neoclassic buildings and monuments, I found that this modern one was the most touching. The monument is essentialy a black marble wall where all the names of the dead or "missing" soldiers are carved; a very small bronze statue, the "Three soldiers" is placed near one of the wall ends.

I was happy to know that in the jury that decided to choose this art work by young Chinese-American artist Maya Ying Lin , there was a Sardinian artist, the great Costantino Nivola .

A little controversy started after this monument design was revealed. Some wanted a more solemn and figurative style. In my opinion this wall stand on its own in the load of classicistic monuments in the surrounding. The power of the names carved in the black marble is overwhelming, the line of the wall is simple yet evocative. It is the only "living" monument in the park: veterans and volunteers polish the marble every day, they update the data and talk to the visitors in order to help them finding their relatives names or tell the stories about the war.

The Jefferson memorial is another sample of classicistic memorial: though it is quite impressive, it also seems to me a sort of poor copy of the Roman Pantheon. That's what I mean when I say that classicist architecture may be pretty but can also be annoying. 

 

In the following days I couldn't visit too much of the city, but I mainly visited some restuarants of the small cities near DC.

Below is an old cinema in Silver Springs .

And, in this last one, you can see the Christmas decoration of Barnes and Noble bookstore in Bethesda, near the hotel where I stayed (sorry, the photo is so bad!).   B&N is a wonderful bookstore, where people can sit and read a part of the book they are inbterested in; where you can seat on the floor without being told anything. I spent there a couple of hours and it was love at first sight!!

Last but not least, here's the evidence that many Americans have the sense of self-irony!

Makinga Carpet Kit For A Truck Bed

The Usual Suspects: wishes and intentions for the year of the Tiger

This year we are. 12 months have elapsed from the Cards last year and I see that not much has changed compared to those moments: the word most used is still a crisis, while "shooting" struggles to be heard. Not that it touches us much: in our relative isolation Sardinian (the optimists say retreat, even if you work more than a little) we are sufficiently protected by many jolts of our economy. It is true that in a place of perpetual economic depression can not be that much worse. What for other is a crisis for us normal daily battle.

Japan, who feared not to see until 2010, there probably will wait until 2011 : not always what you plan to be successful, despite the best intentions. I feel a bit like the old man " Up", with its perennially barattolone glass filled with coins to be allocated to the journey of life and regularly emptied to cope with the vicissitudes of daily life.

We console ourselves thinking that if the first time we have spent fifteen years to go to Japan, to wait four years instead of three for the second time will not be a big sacrifice.

E 'was still an eventful year and if I choose my words / kanji of the year would be "movement" (at the risk of embarrassing: 動き ) . Greece, Spain, unexpected and even a quick trip to the USA, as well as an infinite sequence of forward / backward to the beautiful country: it was a hectic year, full of commitments.

The SJCP that I hoped the end of 2008 was a little goal . Write bell'intento remained a while ... even Japanese.

But it is said that something does not change: in this sense, ia lovely wife does not fail to give me "signals" of encouragement. This is what I found under the Christmas tree :-)

not as bad as "encouragement"! A third language would not hurt either to the CV, certainly would be more important umpteenth Java framework intended to take the space of a morning.


I also have a little souvenir brought back from Washington: a good manualone to squeeze the most of my D60, which I've done so far use mediocre.
not know about you, but it bothers me to see very old tools that I use without having taken any possible benefit.


I thank the 2009 for introducing me to people in person whom I had met only virtually: Claudia & Yuichiro (which - I discovered over time - we have more than one interest, despite the 9000km of distance between us ...), Shiho , Mario, Mizuho & Sayuri (whose sense of hospitality has something that reminded me of home), Tore & Chiaki , Gianluca & Kanako . Sorry if I repeat myself, but seeing you was one of the most pleasant surprises of the past year!
The marriage of Claudia and Yuichiro, together with that of my cousin Daniel was the better player of the year! (And I visit several)


I also hope to reconnect with my old friends, comrades of decades a bit 'lost as a result of contingencies. If we do not strive for those who are friends, who is worth doing?


Finally, those who have read my last wishes are known I have a secret desire. this year will remain so. You can not have everything!

are always long-winded with these things. Once again it is midnight in Tokyo, the 108 chimes of bells are endless echoing in the air.

Akemashite omoedetō, good 2010, wherever you are.

Raider Birthday Cakes

Christmas in Barcelona (8 photos)

The Christmas lights of the Passeig de Gratia wonderful walk in Barcelona opens a new series of hi-def photos with PhotoPost.

Hope you like them!

Let's start with the rain of light of the Majestic Hotel.

The charming Cartier store.

Not as shining as the Majestic, but perhaps more fashinating, the bluish shades of the modernist building of the Guess store.

Elegant as ususal, but with a light surrealist touch, the facade of the Chanel store is one of the most beautiful in all the Passeig de Gratia.

 

The Christams lights of the worldwide famous Casa Battlò , by Gaudì, were minimal. But if you look at the photo, you can easily understand why nothing has to be added to this impressive mansion to catch the eye.

I called it, the "Tourist Eater" , for it makes me think to a huge monster ready to eat us, the balconies as half closed eyes and the huge glass windows a mouth wide open, with razor-sharp teeth!

You can see it on black here .

The spectacular fountain at the crossing between the Passeig the Gratia and the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes .

 

The snowflake decorated facade of El Corte Ingles , the biggest shopping center in Barcelona. 

The last photo has not been taken in the Passeig, but near Barcelona's gothic Cathedral, WHERE Every year the Fair of St.Lucy ( Fira de Santa Lluch ) Takes Place in the Avinguda de la Catedral. Here, after the 8th of December, you can find a lot of Christmas related items, Especially For creating Nativity Scenes included the traditional and "famous" Caganer !