Some Birds in the World-Wayfaring Wednesday
Wayfaring Wednesday
Wayfaring Wednesday 2 Sep
Today I hope you have a cup of tea or coffee. Sit down, put your feet up and enjoy the El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookshop in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We visited their in 2012 so I am reaching back travel wise. The Guardian has rated this bookshop the second most beautiful bookshop in the world. National Geographic rated it as the most beautiful. (Wikipedia)
It was certainly the most beautiful bookshop I’ve ever been in.
“Situated on Santa Fe Avenue in Barrio Norte, the building was designed by architects Peró and Torres Armengol for impresario Max Glücksmann (1875-1946), and opened as a theatre called Teatro Gran Splendid in May 1919. The building features ceiling frescoes painted by the Italian artist Nazareno Orlandi and caryatids sculpted by Troiano Troiani, whose work also graces the cornice along the Palacio de la Legislatura de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires.
The theatre had a seating capacity of 1,050, and staged a variety of performances, including appearances by the tango artists Carlos Gardel, Francisco Canaro, Roberto Firpo and Ignacio Corsini. Glücksmann started his own radio station in 1924 (Radio Splendid), which broadcast from the building where his recording company, Nacional Odeón, made some of the early recordings of the great tango singers of the day. In the late twenties the theatre was converted into a cinema, and in 1929 showed the first sound films presented in Argentina.” The architect Fernando Manzone transformed it into the stunning bookstore in 2000.
Okay, enough history. I have photos to share with you and I hope you enjoy them. (Mind you the photos were taken before I began photography courses so bear with me. Lumix point and shoot tiny camera. But you get the gist!
Art work on the ceiling.
Need I say anything??
There were quite a few specialty areas.
The children’s section has a very good selection and I enjoyed seeing the illustrations of the Spanish books.
The cafe was up on the stage and the food, as you can see, was beautiful.
There was one problem with this shop for us. Almost every book is in Spanish. I think that was a good thing in the end as I didn’t buy anything except maybe a notebook or some cards. I don’t remember.
Wayfaring Wednesday
Tasmanian Wildlife Today:
Wayfaring Wednesday is a new feature of this blog. It will feature photography from various places from all over the globe. All the photos featured are ones I have taken as I travelled around the world over the years and also as I wander around Hobart and Tasmania in general.
I am also trying to get used to this new format on Word Press which so far I am not enjoying but I will persevere until I get the hang of it. I am not one to avoid change. So today while I practise I am going to share some eclectic animal photos I have taken in the past.
Below are a group of Tawny Frogmouth birds taken at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. Animals who live at Bonorong are those that are not able to be released into the wild anymore for one reason or another. Part of the Nightjar family of birds.
Next we have a Tasmanian devil. Tassie devils may look cute at times but their bite is several times stronger than that of a Pit Bull dog. They are scavengers. They are also marsupials and are found in forest and bushland here.
I caught this photo accidentally as a group of Wallabies ran by. I quite like it though it is not focused as it could be. It’s okay….I’ll keep it. These are the legs of a forester kangaroo. Check out the claws.
Last but not least I am sharing this photo of our neighbourhood cockatoo. We think he may have escaped captivity at one time as he and a friend often come by alone but also fly with the large flock. He seems a little tamer than the others. I put sunflowers out for them every few days, not so many they become dependent. Lately though, if I forget to put them out he will hang from the eaves of the house and look in through my bedroom window where I sit in my reading chair to remind me. It is very funny and I’ve become quite attached to him. Cockatoos can live well over 100 years old. There is one out at Bonorong who has been in captivity more than 100 years and was surrendered to Bonorong. His name is Fred and when he turned 100 he received a letter from the Queen of England. It hangs on his aviary wall.
That’s all for today folks…….
A Penguin's Journey- Books, Travel, Photography 