Shelagh's Lens
Bringing Vancouver and the world to inspired travellers
Category: Architecture
Downtown Totems
Lately I’ve brought you images ranging from a totem pole near Lions Bay to the clock tower of an older building in Montreal. Today, I’m relying on modern Vancouver to bring you another take on reflective capacities. Rather than a…
Read MoreSculptured Trees
… or, a steel and glass roof designed to emulate rows of trees, whichever you prefer. This was the vision Portuguese architect Santiago Calatrava executed in designing Lisbon Oriente Train Station, known to locally as Lisboa Estacion Orient. Expositions often…
Read MoreTick, Tock
When you’re a Canadian living in a relatively new city such as Vancouver, there’s appreciation to be had for visiting older locales. I’ve yet to visit two of our oldest cities, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Quebec City, Quebec, but have…
Read MoreCast in Gold
… or so it would seem, to someone glancing at the Louvre at sunset. I could offer thoughts on the architecture, the lighting, and the moment of relative quiet as Bastille Day celebrants were off enjoying dinner before the fireworks,…
Read MoreParisian Feline
Ah, Paris. In the 16th arrondissement, or quarter, and barely a block away from Radio France, let’s pause a moment to appreciate the elegant corbels and pops of colour. Next, if you look a little closer while we visit the…
Read MoreBehind the Romance
… of the canals of Venice, it’s another day on the job for the gondoliers. Dressed in only minor variations of the anticipated garb, they and their gondolas are at the ready for the next set of turistas hoping to…
Read MoreSilver and Gold
… a great deal of which were no doubt required to design, build and maintain the beautiful suites of the Chateau de Versailles, which we in North America know as the Palace of Versailles.
Read MoreLet them Eat … Brioche
Crowds of fellow visitors aside, the Palace of Versailles is unlikely to elicit neutral reactions from travellers. Elegant and opulent by turn, and often in hand, many of the suites look out onto equally grand gardens. I’ll post images from…
Read MoreAlhambra: 14th Century Sophistication
If ever you have the opportunity to visit Granada, nab it – for it’s difficult to imagine being anything less than inspired and enchanted by this palace and its gardens. While history tells us that the Alcazaba fortress here dates…
Read MoreSeat of Power
Am writing with a nod of thanks here to blogger Shane of The Weekly Minute, whose recent posts as a new resident of Ottawa prompted memories of some lovely sights I enjoyed in Ottawa earlier this year. Have you visited…
Read More
Shelagh's Lens 