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Tamata
τάματα is the Greek word for vows and votive offerings, referring to a popular practice among the faithful of most if not all religions. I have shown and written about this fascinating phenomenon earlier on this blog in a series of posts dedicated to the local Hindu god Golu Devta in Kumaon, India, and the vows…
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Ossuarium
In one of the orthodox churches of Paleochora I saw to my surprise a big open stone reservoir filled with human bones: an ossuary inside the church in full view! I have understood that ossuaries came into use in places where graveyard space is scarce. After a few years in the ground the remains of…
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Aegina – Paleochora
The old town of Aegina had always been at the coast of the island, next to the harbour where it is situated now again. But in the 9th century the town was shifted inland where it could be defended better against the attacks of the Saracens. In the 18th century there were still 400 houses…
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3-D Devotion
Going through the Herkyna gorge south of Livadia, a town in Boeotia, Greece, one passes the Fountain of Memory and the Fountain of Forgetfulness, the ancient Mnemosyne and Lethe of which Pausanias speaks. For me the water of Mnemosyne has done its work because I remember well first having seen from down the façade of…
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Café Kafka
Several cafés in Prague where Kafka liked to come a century ago with his friend Max Brod do not exist anymore. Instead we now find cafés named after him. If Brod had followed Kafka’s wish and had destroyed his friend’s unpublished manuscripts after his untimely death in 1924, the world would not have known the…
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Gorazdova Heaven
This heaven seems badly in need of a lick of paint. But even if it was less run down, it would still be a rather strange impression of a heavenly abode, at least from the outside. Good that it is clearly indicated so we know where to report after our death. Photo of the week:…
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Gorazdova 13
Again no.13, my lucky number, this time in Prague! The lady’s head above the door and the delicate pattern of leafy twigs and fruits all around is nicely done. It’s a fine example of the decorated façades in Art Nouveau style for which this city is known. When walking the streets of Prague do not…
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No. 13
I have friends in Delhi living on the 23rd floor of a big apartment building. Once, when taking the elevator up to their flat, I noticed that there was no button for no.13. The column of figures jumped from 12 to 14. There was no 13th floor! So actually my friends are living on 22nd…
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Skeleton at sunrise
In last week’s post I showed you this dilapidated house from the other side. A very different picture giving a very different impression. This is the same house – and tree – lit up by the early rays of the sun. And this is the sun as it had just risen above the sea. I…
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After the blaze
A house almost burnt down, the fire still flaring up. That’s what it looked like but in fact it was a dilapidated house of which only frame and roof were still standing, while behind it the sun had just come up above the horizon. Fire was there, but far away, … some 150 million km.…
καιρός remembered
… the right moment, position chosen, shoot …
καιρός remembered 