Here are some of my favorite photographs from around the world, all taken by me. Geographically yours, D.J.Z.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Friday, August 29, 2014
San Juan, Puerto Rico
What happens when communities get bitten by behemoths? Local restaurants flounder. Burger King is the second largest burger chain in the United States: When it moves in, culinary preferences change. Breaking news: Burger King has acquired Tim Horton's and is moving its headquarters to Canada. Stay tuned. [2009]
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Bran, Romania
Rising above the town of Bran is Romania's most well-known habitation: Dracula's Castle. Power was exercised from the precipice here. This border fortress commands the trade route between Transylvania and Wallachia. Want to buy it? It's now for sale, but you will have to outbid the Romanian government, which sees it as a heritage resource. [2014]
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Bucharest, Romania
Many of the 'hero martyrs' who gave their lives in the Romanian Revolution of December 1989 are buried in this memorial cemetery in Bucharest. For almost twenty-five years now, one grave has been tended daily by a still-heartbroken mother whose son stood up to the Communist regime and made the ultimate sacrifice. [2014]
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
Bucharest, Romania
Guess what the name of this piaţa was changed to in 1948 when Soviet tanks moved in? Stalin Square. In a sign of what was to come four decades later, the statue of Stalin was brought down in 1962 in the wee hours of the morning. Today, its name, Charles de Gaulle Square, reflects the historically close alliance between France and Romania. [2014]
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Friday, August 22, 2014
Gabrovo, Bulgaria
Outside Gabrovo's Museum of Humor and Satire, you can enjoy some quixotic sculpture. Then, you can go inside and enjoy the humor of local self-deprecation: "It is said that Gabrovians fit taps to their eggs so as to be able to draw as much as is needed since putting a whole egg in the broth is sheer wastefulness." Across the river: the sports stadium. [2014]
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Plovdiv, Bularia
Philip II has been marginalized. It's his city, but he must now be contented with a small plaza between a residential neighborhood and a park. Do you remember where he was just a few years ago? At the very center of Plovdiv, ancient Philippopolis. Why the demotion? "He's not Bulgarian," was the answer on the street! [2014]
Monday, August 18, 2014
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
A hundred years ago, he would have been playing the accordion, right? But, now it's a keyboard and amplifier that allow him to bring life to Alexander-I-Battenberg Street, the pedestrian core of Plovdiv. Please don't interrupt the maestro! Unless you are going to throw a coin in his case, that is. [2014]
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
With the collapse of Communism, the architectural landscape of Bulgaria has come alive with restored churches and monasteries. The Metropolitan Church of St. Martyr Marina is one of the most important in Plovdiv. Its wooden tower, rising above the entry chapel, was restored even before the collapse of Communism: in 1953. [2014]
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Friday, August 15, 2014
Antalya, Turkey
That's likely to be a polyglot yacht. If you were eavesdropping, what languages would you hear? Turkish, for sure. But also, German, Russian and Ukrainian, and, of course, English. And, maybe, Chinese and Japanese. "The Polyglot Yacht": Sounds like the title of a poem or short story, doesn't it? [2014]
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Gaziantep, Turkey
The citadel, or cale, of Gaziantep sits atop a strategically located hill which dominates the fertile agricultural region near the Syrian-Turkish border. It is a smaller version of the citadel in Aleppo, only 60 miles to the south. Although 'Antep' is growing apace, the city hasn't forgotten its historical resources. [2014]
Monday, August 11, 2014
Gaziantep, Turkey
Gaziantep is the queen city of baklava, sobiyet, and yaprak sobiyet. You might consider it the dessert capital of Turkey. Main ingredient? Pistachios. Other cities are just green with envy. All over Turkey, restaurants use the name Gaziantep to brand their baklava as if it were Key Lime Pie in the United States or Bakewell Tarts in England. [2014]
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Istanbul, Turkey
The Asian side of the Bosphorus is largely residential. It's packed with houses jockeying for the best view of the water. Notice how the homes at sea level represent three stages of historical preservation: on the left, fully modernized; on the right, in the process of being upgraded; and in the middle, a traditional wooden structure looking for a face lift. [2014]
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Istanbul, Turkey
On the European side of the Bosphorus lies the historical core of Istanbul. The Topkapi Palace, residence of Ottoman sultans for 400 years, sits atop a peninsular ridge that provides an open view of the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus, and the Sea of Marmara. The Justice Tower, the palace's most visible feature, enabled the sultan to keep watch over his city. [2014]
Friday, August 8, 2014
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Monday, August 4, 2014
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Friday, August 1, 2014
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