Church of Our Lady, Bruges, Belgium

 Here is a description of the Church of our Lady in Bruges, Belgium from Wikipedia: Church of Our Lady, Bruges. 

The Church of Our Lady (Dutch: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) in Bruges, Belgium, dates mainly from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. This church is essentially "...a monument to the wealth, sophistication, taste, and devotion of this most Catholic city, whose history and faith stand today celebrated in this wonderful building."

Its tower, at 115.6 metres (379 ft) in height, remains the tallest structure in the city and the second tallest brickwork tower in the world (after St. Martin's Church in Landshut, Germany).

The church demonstrates the Gothic style in the prominent Flying buttresses on the exterior which were constructed in the 1270s and 80s. The nave contains cross-vaults and black and white tiled flooring. The interior demonstrates the heavily ornamented Baroque style in the side aisles and chancel. One of the chapels in the church was created in 1482 for a wealthy man named Lodewijk van Gruuthuse, as his personal worship area.

A View from the Alhambra, Granada, Spain

 

I have always been fascinated by the view from windows. This photo is a classic window image. You can see the city framed in the walls of an ancient palace. It would almost seem like a fake image if I didn't click the camera and capture the image myself. I seldom get such a dramatic view from a window. Granada, Spain has about twice the population of Provo, Utah where I now live but beyond that statistic, it is as different from Provo as any city could possibly be. 

Tile Roofs in Spain #givethanks

 

Because I lived most of my life in the Salt River Valley of Arizona, I am very familiar with tile roofs. Our last house in Mesa, Arizona had a tile roof. These roofs, if well maintained, can last for decades. Of course, they are quite heavy and require a sturdy construction, not the flimsy wood-framed houses I see going up all over Utah Valley but once in place unless there is some exterior damage they are secure. 

I am thankful for all those things around me that add to my security and peace of mind. #givethanks

Wall Decoration from the Palace of King Carlos V, the Alhambra, Granada, Spain

 

Here is a short explanation of the Palace of Carlos V, King of Spain at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.

The Palace of Charles V is a Renaissance building in Granada, southern Spain, located on the top of the hill of the Assabica, inside the Nasrid fortification of the Alhambra. The building has never been a home to a monarch and stood roofless until 1957.

The structure was commanded by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who wished to establish his residence close to the Alhambra palaces. Although the Catholic Monarchs had already altered some rooms of the Alhambra after the conquest of the city in 1492, Charles V intended to construct a permanent residence befitting an emperor. The project was given to Pedro Machuca, an architect whose biography and influences are poorly understood. At the time, Spanish architecture was immersed in the Plateresque style, still with traces of Gothic origin. Machuca built a palace corresponding stylistically to Mannerism, a mode still in its infancy in Italy. The exterior of the building uses a typically Renaissance combination of rustication on the lower level and ashlar on the upper. Even if accounts that place Machuca in the atelier of Michelangelo are accepted, at the time of the construction of the palace in 1527, the latter had yet to design the majority of his architectural works.

Flowers Gladen the Heart #GiveThanks

 

It is true, flowers gladden the heart. #GiveThanks. Here is a poem that might also gladden a few hearts. 

FLOWERS

They are autographs of angels, penned
In Nature’s green-leaved book, in blended tints,
Borrowed from rainbows and the sunset skies,
And written everywhere–on plain and hill,
In lonely dells, ‘mid crowded haunts of men;
On the broad prairies, where no eye save God’s
May read their silent, sacred mysteries. Thank God for flowers!
They gladden human hearts; Seraphic breathings part their fragrant lips
With whisperings of Heaven.

Albert Laighton 1829-1887

#givethanks

Color and Form #givethanks

 

I never seem to exhaust my love of flowers. This is likely a Magnolia tree. I found this lovely flower at the Alahambra in Spain. I like both the color and the form of this flower. I am thankful for all the flowers in the world. #givethanks

Rock Canyon, Utah in the Fall

 

A clear day in the late Fall greeted us on this walk into the canyon. I am so grateful for our beautiful world. I am also grateful to be living so close to the mountains. Although I am mostly too old to climb the rocks like I used to do, I enjoy seeing others with their ropes and protection devices climbing on the cliffs. #GiveThanks