Walking in the Shadows: Photographs

Showing posts with label Photographs. Show all posts

Old Blandy's Wine Lodge & The Sacred Art Museum

Again, I know that I have been to both places on previous trips to Madeira, but they are two places that really make me smile. Blandys’ because every time I think of it, I always remember the group of Scandinavian tourists, sitting in the Max Romer Try & Buy bar, slowly getting more and more plastered.

On the way into the Blandy’s Wine lodge – more correctly known as Adega Sao Francisco (I think) there are a series of wooden plaques with descriptions of the various wines on it.

(Apologies for the slight blurring in the subsequent photos – my arm was starting to ache!) This is then followed by:

This is then followed by:

Followed by:

And finally:

The main wine lodge is up some steps, and as you approach, there is a large banner proclaiming that this building is the Blandy’s Wine lodge.

Then, it’s into the main building. There are several tours that run, depending on the time of year, as they run a harvest tour the end of August to the beginning of September. (Ok – when I was there, it was the Vintage tour for which you paid €25 to try old wine, or the normal wine lodge tour that told you about the production of Madeira wine, and that was €5. I opted for the standard tour, as I am not a wine enthusiast by any stretch of the imagination, so it would have been a waste of money for me.

Whilst I was waiting for the tour to start, I made the most of the peace and quiet to get some photographs of the vintage room.

This room is incredible. The wines are stored in cabinets that seem to be fronted by chicken wire, and the atmosphere is something else.

Storage in the Vintage room

Vintage wines (without the chicken wire in the way!)

Vintage Sercial in the Vintage room

The Vintage room

Then it was on to the main tour itself. The guide as per normal, was really enthusiastic, and made sure that the tour party was aware of the heritage of the building – it had been used as a hospital and a jail, as well as being a monastery.

The first room that we entered was the canteiro room. This is where the wines are kept in American Oak barrels for a number of years and are heated by the sun shining on the building. Some of the wines in the room had been in there longer than I am old!

Casks in the Canteiro room

The next room was the Vat room – where the previous year’s juice (or very young wine) was stored prior to going into the canteiro room. The vats were made from Brazilian Satinwood, as this didn’t impart any flavour to the juice / wine before it made its migration to the American Oak casks.

Brazilian Satinwood vats - the grape variety is stencilled onto the vat

If a wine is to be declared a vintage, it must remain in the barrel for a minimum of 20 years, and the master vintner must have agreed that it is a good year for the particular grape variety. Then, four bottles are sent to the Madeira wine institute, who give it the final say so (apparently one bottle is tested to ensure the quality of the wine, two bottles are put into the archives and the fourth bottle? The guide always jokes that it is drunk!)

The tour always ends in the Max Romer try and buy bar, where I was able to try a 5 year old Bual and 10 year old Malmsey. I have to admit, neither is to my taste, but it is interesting to see if my pallet has changed from the previous year (it never seems to!)

The sales area of the Max Romer Try & Buy bar

The other place that I adore is the Sacred Art Museum. Again, I know I’ve mentioned this when I’ve been posting about my trip last year, but it’s one of those museums that really makes an impact on you.

Unfortunately, I only managed one photograph this time (and that was because I was standing in the street to take it!)

But, despite this, the museum remains one of my favourite places to visit, as the collection of Flemish and Portuguese art is some of the best that I have seen, and I really wish that I could get a proper guide book that gave all the information about this fascinating museum.

Ah well, guess I should call this quits for now – I’m starting to fall asleep at my computer!

Back tomorrow, if I get the chance.

Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most

Another day in Funchal - visiting the Sé

Posted by Karen at 18:57 comments (0)

As Funchal is the capital (or more to the point major town) in Madeira, Mum and I went there most days. Not necessarily to the same place, although the Sé was a different matter (but that was because my camera decided to start playing up, and refusing to save images, so I had to borrow Mum's camera, so the pictures in this post are a mixture of her camera and mine).

The Sé is one of those places that stick in my mind, simply because the interior is so spectacular. The outside is rather plain, and doesn't give any hint at the splendour that lies within.

Outside of the Sé

Can't remember who this is...

Inside the Sé, it's almost like entering another world. The workmanship is phenomenal, and the artefacts on display are something else.

The view from the left hand bank of pews

The main Altar

One of the side chapels - this is on the right hand side of the main altar.

Close up of the chapel

This is to the right of the chapel and the main Altar

Think this is an image of St Micheal the Defender

Part of me wishes that I had a really big flash on the camera, as the workmanship on the walls and altar was spectacular, and my poor little flash barely illuminated anything, so I guess that the true splendour will have to remain as a memory.

Ah well, guess I should call this quits – I need to go and sort out a few bit…

Back later

Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most

In an old Brownie camera

Posted by Karen at 15:29 comments (0)

Isn't is amazing how a film could last so long in a camera without disintegrating?

Fantastic photos taken 68 years ago. Some of you will have to go to a museum to see what a Brownie camera looked like?

Here is a simple picture of what we are talking about. . .

These photos are absolutely incredible....Read below the first picture and at the end...

PHOTOS STORED IN AN OLD BROWNIE CAMERA

Thought you might find these photos very interesting; what quality from 1941.

Pearl Harbor photos found in an old Brownie stored in a foot locker. And just recently taken to be developed.

THESE PHOTOS ARE FROM A SAILOR WHO WAS ON THE USS QUAPAW ATF-11O.

I THINK THEY'RE SPECTACULAR!

Pearl Harbor

On Sunday, December 7th, 1941 the Japanese launched a surprise attack against the U.S. Forces stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. By planning this attack on a Sunday, the Japanese commander Admiral Nagumo, hoped to catch the entire fleet in port. As luck would have it, the Aircraft Carriers and one of the Battleships were not in port. (The USS Enterprise was returning from Wake Island, where it had just delivered some aircraft. The USS Lexington was ferrying aircraft to Midway, and the USS Saratoga and USS Colorado were undergoing repairs in the United States)

In spite of the latest intelligence reports about the missing aircraft carriers (his most important targets), Admiral Nagumo decided to continue the attack with his force of six carriers and 423 aircraft. At a range of 230 miles north of Oahu, he launched the first wave of a two-wave attack.

Beginning at 0600 hours his first wave consisted of 183 fighters and torpedo bombers which struck at the fleet in Pearl Harbor and the airfields in Hickam, Kaneohe and Ewa.

The second strike, launched at 0715 hours, consisted of 167 aircraft, which again struck at the same targets.

At 0753 hours the first wave consisting of 40 Nakajima B5N2 'Kate' torpedo bombers, 51 Aichi D3A1 'Val' dive bombers, 50 high altitude bombers and 43 Zeros struck airfields and Pearl Harbor within the next hour, the second wave arrived and continued the attack.

Casualties

US Army:             218 KIA (killed in action),

                                364 WIA (wounded in action).

US Navy:               2,008 KIA, 710 WIA.

US MarineCorp: 109 KIA, 69 WIA.

Civilians:                68 KIA, 35 WIA.

TOTAL: 2,403 KIA, 1,178 WIA.

----------------------------

Battleships

USS Arizona (BB-39) - total loss when a bomb hit her magazine.

USS Oklahoma (BB-37) - Total loss when she capsized and sunk in the harbor.

USS California (BB-4 4) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and repaired.

USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and repaired.

USS Nevada - (BB-36) Beached to prevent sinking. Later repaired.

USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) - Light damage.

USS Maryland (BB-46) - Light damage.

USS Tennessee (BB-43) Light damage.

USS Utah (AG-16) - (former battleship used as a target) - Sunk.

----------------------------

Cruisers

USS New Orleans (CA-32) - Light Damage.

USS San Francisco (CA-38) - Light Damage.

USS Detroit (CL-8) - Light Damage.

USS Raleigh (CL-7) - Heavily damaged but repaired.

USS Helena (CL-50) - Light Damage.

USS Honolulu (CL-48) - Light Damage.

----------------------------

Destroyers

USS Downes (DD-375) - Destroyed. Parts salvaged.

USS Cassin - (DD -3 7 2) Destroyed. Parts salvaged.

USS Shaw (DD-373) - Very heavy damage.

USS Helm (DD-388) - Light Damage.

----------------------------

Minelayer

USS Ogala (CM-4) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.

----------------------------

Seaplane Tender

USS Curtiss (AV-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.

----------------------------

Repair Ship

USS Vestal (AR-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.

----------------------------

Harbor Tug

USS Sotoyomo (YT-9) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.

----------------------------

Aircraft

188 Aircraft destroyed (92 USN and 92 U.S. Army Air Corps.)