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четверг, 25 марта 2010 г.

Vorontsov's Palace (Alupka)

The southern facade

The Vorontsov's Palace was constructed from 1830-1848, to be used as a summer residence of the governor-general of the Novorossiysky Krai, Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov.

However being mainly in the English style, some eastern elements can be seen in the palace. For instance, the Gothic style chimney stacks are reminiscent of Islamic minarets. The southern facade is also designed in an eastern architecture style. The southern entrance to the palace is characterized with a flat roof topped off with two minaret-style towers, below which rests an entrance hall leading out towards the exit through a horse-shoe arch. On the interior walls of the entrance hall is an inscription written in Arabic: "There is no Conqueror, except Allah." Side balconies adjoin the entrance hall looking over the so-called "lion terrace."

Fujian Earth building

Fujian Tulou is called “Ancient Castle in the East” . A tulou is usually a large, enclosed and fortified earth building, rectangular or circular in configuration, with very thick load-bearing rammed earth walls between three and five stories high and housing up to 80 families. They were built for defending purposes around a central open courtyard with only one entrance and windows to the outside only above the first floor. Housing a whole clan, the houses functioned as village units and were known as “a little kingdom for the family” or “bustling small city.”


четверг, 18 марта 2010 г.

SWAP


The useful work is always quiet and unnoticeable

                                                                 Leo Tolstoy

JP-99962

Macoto Takahashi, born in 1934 in Osaka, is a romantic shoujo-manga artist who draws beautiful young maidens, wide-eyed innocents, and angelic princesses with lots of detail and lace, surrounded by intricately drawn flowers and fluttering baby birds.

His artwork became heavily popular during the mid 1990's and has been featured frequently on the covers of the Gothic & Lolita Bible magazines.

PT-114931

Setúbal in the south-west of Portugal


US-635362

Sleeping Beauty

This Russian artist was born Romain de Tirtoff (Tirtoff was born Roman Petrovich Tyrtov (Роман Петрович Тыртов) in Saint Petersburg) and liked to call himself Erté after the French pronunciation of his initials.He was one of the foremost fashion and stage designers of the early 20th century. Destined for a military career, Erté surprised a number of people by creating his first successful costume design and the age of five. In 1912, at the age of 19, his father finally allowed him to move to Paris to fullfill his dream of becoming a fashion illustrator. Erté is perhaps best remembered for the gloriously extravagant costumes and stage sets that he designed which vividly reflect his taste for the exotic and romantic.


суббота, 13 марта 2010 г.

BY-49773


Hotel "Europe"


LT-66393


DE-540518

Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940) was a Swedish author. She was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and most widely known for her children's book Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige (The Wonderful Adventures of Nils).