Cool Place ! - Dongdaemun

In Seoul again last week.  On a morning when we didn't have meetings, my friend Harri and I went on a brief photo excursion.  On one of the tourist maps of Seoul, I noted a place called the Dongdaemun Cultural Center.  We had no idea what to expect, so we planned to have an early breakfast, and get there as soon after sun up that we could.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

From several blocks away, we could see it as we drew nearer in the cab.  A cool looking place, all rounded and smooth, stainless steel skin gleaming in the early morning sun.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

The early sun, still at a very low angle, bounced in around and through the place.  The stainless reflected the light beautifully, and picked up the colors reflecting from the surroundings.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Wonderful, smooth, rounded shapes, interfacing with the concrete walkways and hand railing.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Then, Harri noticed that the "dirt" patches that we could see around us were areas where ruins of earlier constructions could be seen.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Several things are combined on this large, full city block facility.  There is a subway station under it, causing a steady stream of people to be headed down the wide walks and through the portals, headed to and from work each day. 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Part of the roof was covered with artificial grass, and sticking into it were thousands of artificial white flowers.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Another part, a central open space well below the elevation of the street, had more ruins, and included a restored section of an ancient fortress wall.  They have not determined which quarry produced the original stones, so the restoration stones, taken from a different quarry, are lighter colored, and you could easily tell which were the originals.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Cool the way the light played off the stainless.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

 Harri...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

The stairs leading from the street down to the subway station entrance.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Light reflecting off stainless and the very smooth concrete surface.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Girl ascending the stairway, into an ethereal light.

 

 

If you are in Seoul, check out Dongdaemun.  It's easy to reach, just a quick cab ride from Sejong-daero.  Lots of cool photo op's !

Y'all take care,
- Mark



Seoul Fortress Wall, Dongdaemun History Museum,
Dongdaemun Stadium Memorial, Design Gallery,
Event Hall, Café, Outdoor Performance,
Dongdaemun Stadium Memorial Museum
http://tour.junggu.seoul.kr/tour/eng/h03_tour/h31_recom_07.jsp

 

Missed Opportunity !

Well, after getting up early, making a 14-hour flight to Tokyo, waiting 3 hours to connect, I was on the flight to Seoul, hoping we would get a good view of the sunset as we took off.  Well, we sat on the ground until the light had mostly faded so, as tired as I was, I closed my eyes. 

Photo by Mark W.  Laughlin

I had my cell on "airplane mode" specifically so I could snap a photo, but my better camera was packed away.  Then, as we ascended after take off, we got high enough that the sun was again just beneath the horizon, and the color came back.  Even better, right there, silhouetted perfectly on the horizon, was Mt. Fuji.

 

Unfortunately, the plane began a slight left turn, making it harder and harder to get a shot of Fujiyama.  I clicked, but the only half-good one was this one.  The dark part in the center is Tokyo Bay.  To the right, Tokyo, and down the far side of the bay are Kawasaki and Yokohama.  Really wish I could have gotten better clarity, and a better angle on Fuji.

But, I guess you get what you get...
- Mark



 

Toledo de España

From Madrid, Toledo is just a short 30 minute ride on one of Spain's fast trains.  I had never thought of it, until I sat next to an older fellow on the plane to Madrid.  He didn't speak any English, but as we talked, I understood that he was from Toledo, and he told me how to catch the train there from Madrid.

 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Main hall of train station Madrid de Atoche.  The high-speed train stops at the foot of the hill in Toledo, a walled, hill-top city, founded in Roman times, around 2000 years ago.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

You can take a bus, or grab a cab, and ride to the top of the hill, to begin your walk around Toledo there.  One of the first people we encountered was this young fellow, jumping to catch huge soap bubbles, created by a fellow using something that looked like a white, circular rope.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Toledo is a beautiful, densely constructed city, with street after narrow street, of apartments, restaurants, souvenir shops and more.  There are beautiful churches, cathedrals, synagogues, some dating back hundreds and hundreds of years.  Unfortunately for us, it was raining a bit as we arrived.

 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

One of the most prominent buildings in the city is the Alcánzar, a large fortress atop the town.  It was rebuilt by Franco after it was nearly destroyed during fighting in the Spanish Civil War.  But, I had a hard time getting photos in the rain, because I couldn't "look up" to photograph it, without getting raindrops on my lens.

 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

 

There are all sorts of statues set into the walls of the large cathedral, 

Catedral Santa Iglesia.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

 
And then finally, the clouds started to break...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

 
A view across the plaza, down the street that runs next to the cathedral...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

 

And as soon as the sun came out, so did the people.  Must have been many in hotels nearby, who had stayed in during the rain.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

 

 

A puddle amongst the cobble stones, offering a reflection of a nearby balcony.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

 

Speaking of reflections, this is my new favorite photo (at least until my next expedition !).  While standing in front of the cathedral, I noticed a cool reflecting pool, just as the sun shone brightly on the basilica.  In this image, you're actually looking at it upside down. 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Notice the orange tennis shoes in the lower left corner.  The kid wouldn't move out of my way, so I positioned his shoes just in the corner of the frame.  You don't really mind his reflection in the water, as he's obscured a bit by the reflection of a tree.  I have not yet printed it as a "metal print", but will do so very soon. 

 

For previous photos of Spain, see Valencia de España:

http://writtenpost.blogspot.com/2011/07/valencia-de-espana.html

 

Try Toledo. 

Really cool, really easy to get to, with a lot more to explore

than a fellow can do in one afternoon !

- Mark

 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

 

 

 

 

Sometimes the sun...

...cooperates...
               ...and sometimes, it doesn't.


When it does...

 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

(Royal Palace, Amsterdam)

 

 ...you can find plenty of things to do with it.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

(Westerkerk, Amsterdam)

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

(Grote Markt Square, Haarlem, Nederlands)

And then sometimes, it doesn't.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

We were out well before dawn one morning...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

                ...hoping the sun would stream through...

(De Adriaan Windmill, Haarlem, Nederlands)

 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

                                  ...hoping it would silhouette the windmill...

But this time, no dice, no sun, just clouds.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

So, ya' gotta' do the best you can with what you get.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

So, just because it's not what you were hoping for, that doesn't make it a total bust.  Lights playing on the water...silhouettes against a cloudy, but brightening, sky.  If you give up and stay in bed, you get nuttin'.  Get up and get out there !

Y'all take care,

- Mark

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Dawn, Herrankukkaro, western Finland

 

Finland in the Fall

I've said it before,
but I will say it again,
I love Finland !

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

The roof of the manor house catches the last rays of the sun.

 

Several reasons.  It's a beautiful country, but also because the people are friendly.  I go there to work, our headquarters is there, but having worked with several of the folks for a number of years now, I go there with the knowledge that I will seeing and working with close friends. (and usually, if I am traveling there with partners from the USA, those are frequently close friends as well, so all the better).

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Lots of trees, lawns, beautiful.

I didn't have time for any photo expeditions this time, just had to take advantage of any opportunities that popped up.  Well fortunately, on Wednesday evening, we were treated to a group dinner at a place called Katisten Kartano. 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Pretty nice lobby for a "Cow House" !

There are a number of such places around Finland.  Like Katisten Kartano, they are usually large former farms or dairy plantations, typically with large Manor Houses and out-buildings. But these days, many of them have been converted to places where businesses can have meetings, or host dinners. 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

 Stone walls all around, and many barns built with similar large stones.

 

 
There are several meeting facilities at Katisten Kartano, and the Manor House is set up with several dining rooms, with seating from around 100, to smaller rooms set for a half-dozen or a dozen guests.   

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Sitting area in front of the "Cow House".

Also in Finland, they take the cows indoors in the winter (not into the house dummy, I mean into a large barn).  KK has a former 200-cow stall and milking barn that has been converted to hotel rooms, so there's a place to stay if you are having several days of meetings. 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Several types of out buildings available.

If you are not familiar with Finland, the Sauna is a big deal there.  Being from Texas, sitting in a steamy room at 160 deg F (70 deg C) seems a little too much like every summer afternoon in Houston, as you are just getting into the car. 



Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Several small sitting areas.

 



Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

The small room for the 8 of us. 

 

 

If you travel to Finland in the winter time, you can see right away why Finns (and other Scandinavians) put such a high priority on getting warm (so much so, that they keep doing it even in warm weather).  But I am not so keen on it, so I took the opportunity to walk around and take a few photos before it got dark.

After the sauna, we all went up to the Manor House for dinner.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

 One of several sitting rooms.

 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Small dining room off to the side.  A nice place for breakfast,

especially if looking out over a meter-deep snow.

 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Several smaller dining rooms...

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

The large main dining room looks to seat about 8 dozen.

 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Windows are those locally-made, rolled panes,

with waves and imperfections.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

An old lock on one of the out-buildings.

So, if you happen to be in Finland, check out one of the many manor houses.  Cool places, year round.  Go for a sauna, a few drinks and a fantastic, multi-course, multi-wine, gourmet dinner.  I've had a couple, so far, Katisten Kartano was best !

Y'all take care,
-Mark W. Laughlin

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Katisten Kartano
Katistentie 91  

13210 Hämeenlinna, Finland  

Tel:  +358-03-656-8200  
E-Mail:  katistenkartano@katistenkartano.fi  

Website:  www.katistenkartano.fi  

 

.

 

Cool Bug(s) !!

Well, I just saw something I had never seen before, though I've been here in Houston all my life.

It’s Labor Day 2014, a holiday, but I was on a brief conference call, trying to keep the ball rolling business-wise, to get a project completed by the end of this week.  I was home, at my “kitchen-table-office”, and glanced over toward the rear windows. 

 

The sun was at a nice angle, about 10:00am, and I saw something smaller than a bird, but bigger than most bugs flay past.  Thinking it might be a humming bird, I stepped over to look. 

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

We have a rather unusual bug here that we call a Cicada (not sure if that’s correct…).  I do know that they live underground from the time they hatch, for fourteen years.  They dig around, and then in their 14^th summer, they dig their way up to the surface, and out. 

 

They are large, with a heavy body, fully one half inch wide and about an inch and a half long (about 13 x 38mm).  Once up into the air, they find a tree or other vertical surface, climb up a few feet, and then go through their metamorphosis.  They split the skin of their heavy exoskeleton, and make their way out of this “ugly” “digging suit”, crawl out and spread their 2 inch (50mm) nearly transparent wings, to let them dry.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

When ready, they fly up into the trees and start their next phase, which is mostly singing and mating.  But, all is not harmony and light, you see the cicada has at least one enemy.  It is a wasp, a large heavy bodied wasp, that, on the wing mind you, will intercept a flying cicada, stinging it to death, in mid-air, dropping it instantly to the ground.  In all my years, I have seen this only once, a few years ago, just by chance, because I was looking in just the right direction at just the right time.

Photo by Mark W. Laughlin

Well today, the object I saw flying past the window was one of those wasps, carrying a dead cicada.  He was losing altitude, as the cicada was heavy.  They landed near the base of a large pine tree, just a few feet outside the window, very nicely lit by the sun.  I grabbed my camera from my briefcase and quickly shot two photos before the wasp hustled up the tree and out of site.  It just took a few seconds, and I was back on the call before they missed me.

Take a look at a couple of links:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/cicada/

http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/pest/cicada-killers.shtml

Y’all have a nice Labor Day !

-Mark