This week’s travel theme from Ailsa’s blog ‘Where’s my backpack?’ is Doorways. Very late to the show this week, and the first time in a long time that I have posted to the travel theme.
I love doors and the efforts that people go to as a decorated entrance to their [choose type of construction] house, castle, temple, church, apartment… And I have so many door photos in my travel stash – no wonder my wife wonders what I shoot at sometimes. Here is my go…
Starting in the Royal Palace of Bangkok, Thailand. Yes that is real gold!
Still in Bangkok, but really a world away, is this beautiful entrance into one of the buildings at Jim Thompson’s house.
A little further east, to the beautiful city of Kanazawa, Japan. This is modern Japanese architecture at its best, and I love the curtain pattern.
Further east, to the heart of the country is the imposing doorways at Nijo Castle in Kyoto. This was the power base for the shogunate for centuries.
Over in Europe, and I could have done this whole post on doorways in the Old Town of Tallinn, Estonia. This was my favourite with intricate carvings.
Across the pond by ferry, and this was the doorway entrance to our hotel in Helsinki, Finland on the same trip. The ceiling paintings are the highlight.
In Paris, France, there is a treasure trove along every street of doors – modern, classical, and some antique. But this caught my eye in the 8e arrondissement. I love the metal work and the little critters all over the “branches”. Someone wealthy lives here!
In the Mediterranean, the stunning island of Santorini, Greece has doors of all shades including pastels. Beautiful island…
The historic university town of Cambridge, United Kingdom has some eclectic architecture. But these three simple entrances were what caught my eye.
Finally the door with all the irony in the world. It was not the door so much at the Rockefeller Center in New York City, USA – but the stone carvings on either side. The symbols of communism at the very centre of heart of capitalism.
You should post some more photos to the Legion of Door Whores, Christopher. I enjoyed the range and depth of your photos posted here
Love it – ‘Legion of Door Whores!’
I hate admitting that it is true, I am one of the legion.
Our left-wing has been trying to sweep their ties to communism under the rug since well before you and I were born brother.
LOL! The depression era brought about some strange things.
Strange indeed. The artwork was Diego Rivera’s a known communist who took quite a lot of grief for working for Satan capitalism, in the form of the Rockefellers, from his fellow commies. The decision to go with Rivera, who was wildly popular as an “artist of the people” was greatly influenced by John Jr.’s wife. Long story short, what Rockefeller APPROVED and what he GOT are two different things… That covered the fresco mural in the lobby. As is usual with left-wing commies, Rivera wouldn’t cop to having put a likeness of Lenin in the mural. He offered a BS excuse and eventually the mural was destroyed. Rivera then went on a propaganda campaign against Rockefeller and his family.
In the end, as is so often the case, the commie artists, who hate capitalism, wanted to mark the building and used the capitalist’s gullibility in terms of “art” against them. Rockefeller wasn’t a commie, he hated communism entirely. It was his wife’s gullibility in the face of left-wing “society” that did the art on the building in.
Rockefeller created 40,000 jobs to build that building during the depression, just to create jobs during a tough time. A few commie artists ruined it through deception and a lack of testicular fortitude to be honest.
Some less than intellectual modern-day right wingers (Glenn Beck) have seized on this to try to paint Rockefeller as a commie himself but it simply isn’t true. Rockefeller simply hated modern art so he left much of it to his wife who loved it.
Beyond that, the stone carving at the front of the building is said to be a half-buried shovel, the gray stone below is the dirt, same as the wheat is growing from on the right. This, as one would expect, would be ambiguous so the artists could mark the building but claim, “What? That’s not even a hammer, you’re crazy”! And high society has a laugh at those who actually create something and at their expense. The ultimate slap in the face.
Or it’s all crazy and it just looks like commie art and we’re all dupes. 😜
Thanks for checking out my door photos! I almost included one from Tallinn also; that was a city full of great doors! And where on earth did you stay in Helsinki to see that ornate (for Finland) doorway?! I get your door obsession; my husband is often rolling his eyes and pawing impatiently at the sidewalk while I snap doors!
It is called the Glo Hotel now. It’s about a century old, and quite cool. Just the right level of Nordic style.
Wow that first door is something. Real gold! Yes I think I shall have on installed too. 🙂