“Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back and reasons to stay.” — Dalai Lama * * * “Bless this Nest” watercolor painting by Mary O’Connor © 2016 (currently hanging in the Essex (CT) Art Association Summer Exhibition, “Where I Live.”)
“The world cannot be translated; it can only be dreamed of and touched.” — Dejan Stojanovic “Without translation, I would be limited to the borders of my own country. The translator is my most important ally. He introduces me to the world.” — Italo Calvino No translation necessary here… The Best! * * * … More Translation
“You don’t get harmony when everybody sings the same note.” — Doug Floyd “Music is truly the universal language, and when it is excellently expressed how deeply it moves our souls.” — David O. McKay With more than 17,000 pipes, the world’s largest pipe organ is housed in Passau, Germany’s baroque 17th century St. Stephen’s Cathedral, … More Harmony
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” — Coco Chanel The high altar and ceiling frescoes in Melk Abbey, Melk, Austria, combine to create a symphony of form and color, adding to the church’s reputation as one of the most significant structures of the Baroque era. Yet it is one of its simplistic … More Simplicity
“The search for wisdom is like a search for gold.” — Lajlah Gifty Akita The Vienna Secession, a group of artists who resigned from the Association of Austrian Artists due to differences of opinion over artistic concepts, constructed what remains today as one of Vienna’s best known buildings. The stark white building with beautiful, gold … More Wisdom
“It takes a huge effort to free yourself from memory” — Paulo Coelho “The living owe it to those who no longer can speak to tell their story for them.” — Czeslaw Milosz Shoes on the Danube Promenade ― A haunting and moving memorial to the Jewish victims shot into the Danube in 1944-45 by … More Commemorate
“Sometimes we feel that we’ve got to climb a mountain or raise a monument to leave our mark on the world. What we fail to recognize is that often we make a difference simply by existing, by handling what life gives us. Maybe the way we deal with our challenges and our rewards inspires someone else to … More Achievement
“The love for material things grows like a fungus in the soul and destroys the loveliness of the human heart utterly.” — Caryll Houselander Noted for its water-absorbing abilities, the amadou fungi was traditionally used as tinder, dating back to ice-age days. Today it is still harvested in much of central Europe and used to craft … More Material things
“Going around under an umbrella interferes with one’s looking up at the sky.” — Jerzy Kosinski * * * Shop awning fashioned from umbrellas hides the sun above the cobblestone streets of Szentendre, a colorful Hungarian village of artists and galleries. Photo by Mary O’Connor © 2016 (one of an ongoing series of photo posts from recent Danube … More Interference
“Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.” — Frank Gehry Bronzed windows of contemporary building (above) in castle district of Budapest, Hungary, reflect turrets and fantasy design of neo-Romanesque Fisherman’s Bastion. Designed in 1902, the Disney-like structure with its seven turrets represents the seven Magyar tribes that settled in Hungary at … More Timelessness
Life Is Full of Sweet Spots 