Sooth Brush » Travel and Places

Weird Hospital Themed Restaurant in Latvia

admin — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:44:20 +0000

A unique, weird restaurant has opened in Riga, Latvia named “Hospitalis“.It is a must-see place if you like gore things. The restaurant looks like a medicine cabinet, while you are treated as a patient and taken good care by the long-legged waitresses in nurses uniforms.

The food is served in flasks and operating-room’s dishes and isn’t that cheap (7 and more lats per meal), but this is a bizarre experience that is worth breaking the bank. Besides, the place is owned by local doctors, but unfortunately, the president of Latvia, who is also a doctor, declined his appearance at the opening once he realized how weird this place actually is.

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Casa Batllo : The House of Bones

admin — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 18:45:35 +0000

Restored and remodeled by the Spanish modernist architect Antoni Gaudi in the years 1905–1907, Casa Batllo is now one the most overlooked buildings by the tourists who visit Barcelona.Although Casa Batllo is a museum now, Gaudi designed it for for a wealthy Barcelona Aristocrat.
The local name for the building is Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), and indeed it does have a visceral, skeletal organic quality.

Close up of Casa Batllo chimney :: Photo Credit: WikiMedia

Casa Batllo’s roof has been compared to a reptilian creature, the backbone of a gigantic dinosaur, the dragon killed by St. George (Sant Jordi being the patron saint of Catalan).

Casa Batllo roof :: Photo Credit: Klaus Dolle

It seems that the goal of the designer was to avoid straight lines completely. Much of the facade is decorated with a mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles that starts in shades of golden orange moving into greenish blues.

Casa Batllo arched roof :: Photo Credit: WikiMedia

Casa Batllo building, Barcelona :: Photo Credit: Fran Barrero

Casa Batllo arched roof and complex chimney detailing :: Photo Credit: WikiMedia

From the balconies resembling the bones of animals to the scale like surface of the front facade, the building is a tour de force of an artist reaching the peak of his powers. At night the floodlit facade has an iridescence like the scales of a fish. This polychromic finish is known as trencadís.

Casa Batllo, Barcelona in HDR:: Photo Credit: MorBCN

The enlarged windows on the first floor gave it another nickname, ‘House of Yawns’.

Casa Batllo window, Barcelona :: Photo Credit: WikiMedia

Window detail of Caso Batllo building :: Photo Credit: shapeshift

Casa Batllo Interior Design

Inside Caso Batllo :: Photo Credit: (Erik)

Inside Caso Batllo :: Photo Credit: acastellano

Inside Caso Batllo :: Photo Credit: 3dom

Caso Batllo: Spiral Design :: Photo Credit: 3dom

Caso Batllo: Spiral Design :: Photo Credit: Mini Anna

Caso Batllo lobby :: Photo Credit: Kipourax

Planet Panoramas: Popular Spots on Little Planets

admin — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:48:49 +0000

Planet Panoramas utilize Stereographic Projection to map spherical panoramas.This results in interesting effects: the area close to the point opposite to the center of projection becomes significantly enlarged, resulting in an effect known as little planet (when the center of projection is the nadir) and tube (when the center of projection is the zenith).

Here are some amazing Planet Panoramas of famous places around the world.
Scroll down the page to find some tutorials on how to create these breathtaking Planet Panoramas.

Planet Chicago :: Millenium Park – Gehry by: Sam Rohn – Location Scout

Planet New York :: Central Park – The Gates by: Sam Rohn – Location Scout

Planet Jerusalem :: Western Wall – Kotel by: Sam Rohn – Location Scout

Planet Jerusalem :: Dome of the Rock – Temple Mount – Haram al-Sharif by: Sam Rohn – Location Scout

The Taj Mahal, a world on its own by: Manυ

Paris s’éveille by: gadl

Paris Like a butterfly by: Manυ

Naghsh-e-jahan Planet (Historical Square in Isfahan, Iran) by: 1Ehsan

Saint Germain en Laye church, France by: Seb Przd

Mini Planet: Piazzeta San Marco Venice by: fotofacade

A house in Deauville, Normandy, France by: Manυ

Planet Lincoln-HDR by: Zuiun

Montmartre s’éveille by: gadl

Notre-Dame de Paris by: gadl

HOESCH Phoenix, Dortmund by: ehcsimred

planet hawthorn by: superNova K

Planet Golden Gate by: Josh Sommers

Planet Panoramas Tutorials:

Exploring The Ghost Town of Rhyolite

admin — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:30:10 +0000

Located in the Bullfrog Hills, Nevada, Rhyolite is a ghost town which came into existence as the result of a gold rush that began in 1904.Rhyolite had its peak population from 1905 to 1910, when decreased gold production led to a decline that culminated in its abandonment by 1919.
Rhyolite has a number of crumbling, old buildings. But before you reach them, you’ll probably be distracted by a collection of odd outdoor art projects.

Ghosts of Rhyolite by: Chris28mm

Perhaps Rhyolite’s most distinctive art exhibit is this re-creation of Jesus’ Last Supper.The sculpture was created in 1984 by Poland-born Belgian sculptor Albert Szukalski, based on the famous Leonardo Da Vinci masterpiece.But instead of disciples wearing white robes, this version features only the white robes.

Rhyolite’s Last Supper Sculpture by: shadowplay

Although his Last Supper was built decades before the first Lord of the Rings movie was released, his ghostly white forms resemble the dark “Ringwraiths” in those films.He made the figures by wrapping live models in plaster-soaked fabric to achieve his Apostle o’ Shrouds effect.

Rhyolite’s Supper Sculpture by: shadowplay

Rhyolite’s Ghost Rider by: Primary Colors

Beside the last supper sculpture there’s a two-story-tall silhouette of a miner, and his penguin.This sculpture pays homage to the fact that, in Rhyolite, it was customary for the miners to keep penguins as pets.

Tin Man and friend by: J.Marshall

Rhyolite – Penguin and Miner by: Miss Shari

Although Rhyolite is a religious town, a strikingly different sculpture stands slightly up the hill and across a wash from the Last Supper. It’s a 25-foot tall cinder block woman titled “Lady Desert: The Venus of Nevada,” built by Belgian artist Dr. Hugo Heyrman.The Lady’s yellow hair and pink skin are garishly eye-capturing in this land of brown and gray.Dr. Hugo says the pixels used in his electronic 2D art inspired him to pixelize a nude woman in cinder blocks.

Lady Desert: The Venus of Nevada by: mandj98

Pink Lady Sculpture by: antomic

December 14, 1906 at 7:00pm the first train pulled into Rhyolite station from Las Vegas carrying more than 100 people. (45 of them were from Los Angeles) Six years later, the town was abandoned when the mines played out. In its heyday, the town boasted over 3500 citizens. The railroad tracks now removed, ran on the opposite side of the bldg.

Rhyolite Train Depot by: CameraOne

Rhyolite Depot by: J.Marshall

The highlight of Rhyolite is Tom Kelly’s Bottle House, made of 30,000 bottles by a prospector who used the only building material available. It took him six months to build in the winter of 1905-06, and was abandoned with the rest of the town when the gold ran out in 1912. It lived on as a desert landmark and was featured on vintage vellum postcards.

a lot of work and a lot of thirst by: elfis gallery

Bottle House detail by: elfis gallery

Preservationists rebuilt the Bottle House in the summer of 2005. It now stands behind a locked fence, along with a miniature bottle village that was also Kelly’s work.

Kelly’s Bottle House by: jodice

And finally here is some photos from Rhyolite’s abandoned buildings:

Venus over Rhyolite by: Chris28mm

Remains of the Rhyolite’s bank building by: James Neeley

Rhyolite Mercantile by: Jeff Maurone

P.S: Halloween is coming and we are going to celebrate it with a series of Ghost Towns Photo essays, so if you liked this post subscribe to soothBrush feed so you don’t miss them.

Resources and more to read:

Exploring The Ancient Jordan’s City of Petra

admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:01:48 +0000

The City of Petra was hidden in the mountains of Jordan for thousands of years when a young Swiss explorer Johan Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered it in 1812.Temples, tombs, monasteries and other buildings are all carved out of the sandstone cliffs, which also gives it the name the “rose red city.” UNESCO has described it as “one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage.”

stone houses in Petra by: Zé Eduardo

You reach the ancient city of Petra by going through a narrow corridor in a mountain of rocks.This corridor is about a mile long and just wide enough to fit a small truck – although most people go through on horseback or on foot. When you emerge, you enter a little hidden valley, which is mountain-locked.

It was famous around the time of Christ for being the only way through those mountains, and traders bringing back silk from China to Europe often traveled through there. Back then, the people of Petra charged a fee-and of course became quite rich.The valley is a mile long, and more than thirty temples line the canyon sides.

View of the Royal Tombs at Petra by: Olopez

Many of these temples or tombs go back to about 600 B.C., but the particular one they used was built around the time of Christ. Nobody knows for sure what it was used for. Behind the temple face are a few small, square rooms, which are completely empty. Whatever they held was stolen long ago. It’s quite an incredible place – like a tenth wonder of the world.”

Detail of the Tresure of Petra by: Zé Eduardo

Photo by: MarceloRuiz

Inside a nabatean tomb by: MarceloRuiz

One of the most elaborate buildings in the ancient city of Petra by: ZbigD

Petra by night by: sonofwalrus

Inside the Treasury by: MarceloRuiz

Petra sandstone by: ladigue_99

Petra sandstone layers by: ladigue_99

the first view of the Tresure at the end of Al Siq by: Zé Eduardo

Photo by: Kenny Maths

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More Sources on Petra, Jordan Wonders:

Wikipedia

Petra Panorama

Amazing Clifftop Monasteries of Meteora, Greece

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:22:32 +0000

Meaning ‘suspended in air’ the name Meteora includes the entire rock community of 24 monasteries. There were no steps and the main access to the monasteries was by means of a net that was hitched over a hook and hoisted up by rope and a hand cranked windlass to winch towers overhanging the chasm. Monks descended in the nets or on retractable wooden ladders up to 40m long to the fertile valleys below to grow grapes, corn and potatoes.

Photo by: SBA73

Studies suggest that the pinnacles are formed about 60 million years ago during the Tertiary Period . Weathering and earthquakes then shaped them into their present shape.
Although it is unknown when Metéora was established, as early as the 11th century AD hermit monks were believed to be living among the caves and cutouts in the rocks.

Photo by: Publik Oberberg

Photo by: mtphellas1

Photo by: Takeaway

Photo by: Evgeni Dinev

Photo by: ConstantineD

Photo by: Vaggelis Vlahos

Photo by: oriana.italy_ away

Photo by: Vaggelis Vlahos

Photo by: Buzia

Photo by: kzappaster

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More to Read:
Wikipedia
Great Adventures

Cloud Gate: Chicago on Amazing Bean

admin — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:36:17 +0000

Cloud Gate is a public sculpture by Anish Kapoor in Millennium Park, Chicago. The sculpture is shaped like an ellipse, and its legume-like appearance has caused it to be nicknamed “The Bean”. It is made of 168 highly polished stainless steel plates, and stands at 33 feet high, 66 feet long, and 42 feet wide, weighing 110 tons.

From a distance it could be mistaken for a huge drop of mercury, while up close its highly reflective surface captures and transforms the skyline, the downtown cityscape and even the passers-by into a wonderfully warped new vista. The artist, Anish Kapoor, has referred to the sculpture as “a gate to Chicago, a poetic idea about the city it reflects.” The 12-foot underbelly is called the “omphalos” or navel and multiplies reflections in a vortex.

Image Sources : 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10