This amazing structure is Buland Darwaza or the “Gate of Magnificence” built in 1601 by the great Mughal emperor, Akbar, at Fatehpur Sikri, to commemorate his victory over Gujarat. The Buland Darwaza is the highest gateway in the world (53.63 m high) and an astounding example of Mughal architecture. Ce bâtiment étonnant s’appelle Buland Darwaza ou …
Author Archives: avril
Postcard from India – The Biggest Sundial in the World
This sundial at UNESCO World Heritage site, Jantar Mantar observatory in Jaipur, is the largest and most accurate (to within 2 seconds) in the world.. The observatory, built in the first half of the 18th century, has 19 main astronomical instruments or groups of instruments. All are fascinating. Ce cadran solaire à l’observatoire Jantar Montar à Jaipur, site …
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Postcard from India – Jal Mahal, Jaipur
After the chaos of Delhi, the Jal Mahal (“Water Palace”) in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur, the capital of the state of Rajasthan, was totally unexpected. The palace and the lake around it were renovated and enlarged in the 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Amber. The palace is now abandoned. …
Postcard from Australia – Bollards in Geelong
The Baywalk at Geelong provides a lovely walk along the shoreline but the best bit are the bollards which are the work of artist Jan Mitchell. Jan was commissioned by the City of Greater Geelong to transform old timbers and piles from a city pier, demolished in the 1980s, into over one hundred endearing figures reflecting the history …
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Postcard from Australia: the Wine Press – le pressoir à vin
We were lucky enough to be present when friends in the Bellarine in Victoria were pressing their personal harvest of shiraz grapes. Everyone had a turn at activating the press (and tasting the juice!). Nous avons eu de la chance d’être présents lorsque nos amis dans le péninsule de Bellarine dans l’état de Victoria pressaient leur petite …
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Postcard from Australia: Point Lonsdale – The Seagull
We had a very windy walk today along the coast at Point Lonsdale on the Bellarine Peninsula. The wind on the pier was so strong that the seagull in the photo was literally suspended in the air. No wonder the Port Phillip Head’s Rip is so notorious! Nous avons eu une promenade très éventée sur …
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Postcard from Australia – Vue Grand
I was amused to see see this hotel in Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria called Vue Grand. It might have a grand view, but the French version isn’t quite correct. It was built in 1881. J’étais amusée de voir cet hôtel à Queenscliff sur la péninsule de Bellarine dans l’état de Victoria qui …
Postcard from Australia – Geelong Library & Gallery
This futuristic-looking 9-storey building is the new Geelong Library and Heritage Centre which opened at the end of last year. In the photo below, you can see it’s reflection in the globe next to the Geelong Art Gallery where we were lucky enough to see an exhibition of Australia’s best-known impressionist painter, Arthur Streeton,intitulé Land …
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Postcard from Australia – A House in the Trees in Drysdale
This lovely house in Drysdale in the Bellarine Peninsula south of Melbourne, set among shady trees, is another home exchange. It was built as a parsonage in 1888. Cette belle maison entourée d’arbres à Drysdale dans la péninsule de Bellarine au sud de Melbourne, est un autre échange maison. Construite en 1888, c’était à l’origine …
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Postcard from Australia – Two Survivors
Loch Ard was a clipper ship bringing immigrants from England that was wrecked at Mutton Bird Island just off the Shipwreck Coast of Victoria, in 1878 during a storm. Only two of the 54 people on board survived: 18-year old Eva Carmichael, one of a family of 8 Irish immigrants, and ship’s apprentice Tom Pearce, both of …