Showing posts with label Brazil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brazil. Show all posts

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Thursday 13 - Wonderful Places I've Seen - Septtember 26, 2013


I haven't participated in this meme before but it seems like fun.  Each Thursday,
you pick a theme and list thirteen things about it.  I can do that, I'm sure!

My very first time to participate, I thought I'd write about thirteen wonderful
places I've seen - though I don't have photos with me, here in India, to depict
all of them.

1.     The Taj Mahal in Agra, India - the Unesco World Heritage site which was
         built by Shah Jahan, for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving 
         birth to their 14th child


from Bing Images, domain free

The Taj Mahal

An architectural treasure,
A tribute to true love,
It almost seems to glow,
From a full moon above.

Made of pure white marble,
Mumtaz Mahal lies here,
With Emperor Shah Jahan,
Resting very near.

Such overwhelming beauty,
Reflected in its pool.
Its minarets standing guard,
Over India's treasured jewel.

Built on the River Yumana,
The Taj is an exquisite sight,
Symbolic of love for centuries,
Inspiring poets to write.

Carmen Henesy

Copyright (c) 2008 by Carmen Henesy
All rights reserved.  . 


2.     The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, a Buddhist temple in Bangkok,
        Thailand.- he is 15 m high and 47 m long


The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho
Bangkok, Thailand

What is that you contemplate
As the crowds go passing through?
You lie in gilded splendor,
With nothing else to do.

Is there meaning to your dreamy face.
Could it be nirvana near?
Can you hear the faithful praying,
As they bow before you here?

Though you lie alone, Wat Pho is filled,
With Buddhas large and small,
A thousand other figures here,
So you are not alone at all.

Your surroundings are exotic,
Chedi graceful and serene,
A vast temple of great beauty,
A never forgotten scene.

Carmen Henesy

Copyright ©  1997 


3.     Iguazu Falls - on the border of Argentina and Brazil, was named as one
        of the winners of "The New Seven Wonders of Nature" - rent "The 
        Mission" with Robert de Niro which shows the splendor of the falls

from Bing Images, domain free

4.     Mysore Palace in Mysore in southern India - the official residence of the 
        Wodeyars who ruled Mysore for over seven centuries



5.  The Leaning Tower of Pisa in Pisa, Italy is a freestanding bell tower that
      began to lean during construction.  The ground was too soft on one side
      to support the tower's weight.



6.     The Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji, in Kyoto, Japan is officially named
         Rokuon.  It is a Zen Buddhist temple built in the midst of classical
         gardens with a reflecting pond.  It is part of a World Heritage site.



7.     The Sydney Opera House, in Sydney, Australia is also a World Heritage
         site looking out at Sydney Harbor.  It is a multiple venue site and is one 
         of the world's most famous performing arts centers.


from Bing Images, domain free


8.     Butchart Gardens is a National Historic Site of Canada, located at
        Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, near Victoria.  It receives over a
        millions visitors a year.

from Bing Images, domain free


9.     The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California is one of the most
         internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco.  The American 
         Society of Civil Engineers named it one of the Wonders of the Modern
         World.  I crossed this bridge, as a visitor from New Orleans when I was
         eighteen.  I'll never forget the thrill I felt - because I feel it every single 
         time I travel over it - and I have hundreds of times in the 35 + years 
         I've lived in the San Francisco area.




10.   Senso-ji is the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo, located in the Asakusa
         area.  Next to it is a Shinto shrine.



11.    The Byodo-In Buddhist Temple on the island of Oahu in Hawaii is 
          a replica of a 900-year-old temple near Kyoto, Japan.  It is set in
          beautiful gardens, with the Ko'olau Mountains behind.  It has a
          9 foot Buddha and a three ton brass peace bell.  I see it every
          time I am on Oahu since it is in Kaneohe, about fifteen miles from
          Honolulu.

from Bing Images, domain free


12.    La Boquerria - (  Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria )  located on 
          La Rambla in Barcelona, Spain is my favorite of many markets I've
          visited about the world.  The produce and vegetables are so 
          artistically arranged and there are wonderful spots inside to have a
          quick meal of Padron peppers or calamari, or to sip a glass of
          Spanish wine.



13.    The Acropolis of Athens, Greece is an ancient citadel that looks out
          over the city, reminding all of its importance to history and the world.


I have been blessed to travel about much of the world so I could easily do
another post about thirteen wonderful places!!!


I am participating, for the first time in 




Check it out and jointhe fun!










  






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Thursday, October 07, 2010

Alphabe Thursday - "C" is for Carmen ( Miranda, That Is ) - October 7, 2010


Alphabe Thursday - "C" is for Carmen ( Miranda, That Is ) - October 7, 2010





Back in Columbus, Georgia, when my mother was in the late stages of her pregnancy
with me, Carmen Miranda was one of her favorite actresses. singers and dancers. 
I remember listening to records of her and even went with my mother to see several
of her films.  As a little girl, I would play dress up and tie a basket of fruit on my head
and try to dance to her samba tunes, quite unsuccessfully, as apples and bananas
would go rolling all over the floor.

Carmen Miranda, was born in Portugal in 1909 and moved to Brazil with her mother
and sister in 1910, joining her father who had imigrated earlier.  Baptized Maria, her
father called her "Carmen", after his favorite opera.  She loved singing and dancing
from her early years but her father did not want her in show business.  Franklin D.
Roosevelt present her at a White House banquet and she went on to star in thirteen
Hollywood films. 
 
According to Wikipedia, "By 1946 she was Hollywood's highest-paid entertainer and top female tax payer in the United States,[3] earning more than $200,000 that year, according to IRS records."
 
Her marriage, in 1947, to American film producer, David Sebastian, lasted only a few
months but his alcoholism precipated her heavy drinking. Sje ultimately became an
amphetamine and barbiturate abuser.
 
She died, far too young, at the age of 46, having suffered a heart attack during an
evening performance. 

Carmen Miranda is buried in Rio de Janeiro.  She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame and there is a Carmen Miranda Square in Hollywood, near Grauman's Chinese
Theatre.  She was, apparently, beloved by a great number of people.



I am participating in Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday join in the fun.