A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2013.
Part 31:
Itauna (MG) – Stray dog
Belo Horizonte (MG) – Wood in detail
Itauna (MG) – Stray dog
Belo Horizonte (MG) – Wood in detail
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2013, 2017
Archives
All posts for the month January, 2018
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
008: Rabelos, port wine boats
It is quite a romantic image: little boats, with a number of barrels on the decks, on the Douro River, with the Dom Luis Bridge behind. A typical view of Porto, world famous for the port wines produced there. The boats are called barco rabelo (rabelo=’little tail) and are typical for the transport of goods and passengers on the Douro River. Port wines, produced in the Douro Valley, were transported to Porto (neighboring Vila Nova da Gaia, at the other side of the Douro River, to be more precise) for storage and trade. The rabelo is a little extension at the rear of the boat, used for steering. For a long time, transport by rabelos was the fastest way of transport between the Douro Valley and Porto. Every year, on 24 June (St. John’s feast day), a rabelo race is held. Nowadays, the boats are also used for tourist acitivities, like boat tours.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 1999, 2001, 2003, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
005: Giant rock with castle ruin
Recently, Bad Münster am Stein – Ebernburg became part of the municipality of Bad Kreuznach. The spa town (recognized as mineral spring spa and climatic spa) already was named in the twelfth century. The village was founded below the colossal, 136 m high Rheingrafenstein rock, which is rich in porphyry. In 1050, Rheingrafenstein Castle was built on top of this rock; according to a local legend, it was built by the devil overnight. During the Middle Ages, the castle was inhabited by the knights of Lowenstein and the Rhinegraves. in 1689, the castle was destroyed by the French troops of King Louis XIV, but the ruins still exist. It is possible to visit the ruins by taking a hand-driven ferry over the Nahe River, and then climb a steep path to the top. The castle ruin is hardly visible in this picture.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 1991-2001, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
349: Japanese Garden
The Zoo in Belo Horizonte is located in the Pampulha District, at Lake Pampulha. The Zoo (Zoológico in Portuguese) was founded in 1959 and also hosts a large Botanical Garden (Jardim Botánico), which was opened for public in 2001. In 2008, when the Centenary of the Japanese Migration to Brazil was widely celebrated, the Japanese Garden was inaugurated. The Garden was an initiative of the Japanese Consul in Belo Horizonte (Rinaldo Campos Soares), the City of Belo Horizonte, and a Japanese-Brazilian cultural organization (Associação Mineira de Cultura Nipo-Brasileira). Landscape architect Haruho Ieda was responsible for the project, which was inspired upon traditional Japanese gardens: a pond with multi-colored koi fish, several Japanese trees (cherry tree, pine tree, bamboo), artificial waterfalls, a traditional tea house, Japanese lanterns and a typical Japanese bridge.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2011, 2017
A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2012.
Part 34:
Guarapari (ES) – Morro Beach sunset
Guarapari (ES) – Morro Beach sunset
Guarapari (ES) – Morro Beach Sunset
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2012, 2017
A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2014.
Part 17:
Gramado (RS) – Ipiranga Castle in Minimundo
Gramado (RS) – German castle in Minimundo
Gramado (RS) – Grass green roof
Gramado (RS) – Ipiranga Castle in Minimundo
Gramado (RS) – German castle in Minimundo
Gramado (RS) – Grass green roof
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2014, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
019: Tourist taking pictures
Amsterdam is a very popular touristic location in the world. In 2017, more than eight million foreign visitors have been to Amsterdam. Also among the Dutch, Amsterdam is very popular. They go for sightseeing, shopping, or for visiting the museums. Many tourists will flock the historic center: mainly the Dam Square, Leiden Square, the Red Light District, and Museum Square. Since I’ve studied in Amsterdam for four years, I’ve spent many days walking around in those locations and beyond. When I was back in the Netherlands in 2010, I’ve spent one day in Amsterdam. I visited the Free University, spent some hours walking in the historic center, and took some pictures like a foreign tourist. Like this picture, where other tourists were taking pictures of each other.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2010, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
348: Transparent wings
This butterfly may be a general appearance in the parks in Belo Horizonte, it does not occur in the wild in the immediate vicinity. The Greta Oto is mainly found in tropical rain forests, where the flowers grow from which the butterfly lives. It looks like a fragile insect, but this butterfly is pretty strong. It can carry a multiple of its own weight and can travel about ten kilometers a day. The wings are transparent, and that is unique in the animal world. Some aquatic animals such as jellyfish are transparent, but on land and in the air it is very rare to observe transparent animals. The light is not absorbed by the wings and is also not reflected. Thanks to a not fully understood microstructure, light is bent in such a way that our eyes recognize it as transparent. In this way, this butterfly can protect itself against its predators.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2011, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
015: Mount Carmel Highway
When we were driving through Zion National Park, we suddenly were driving on red asphalt. The road was reddish brown with bright yellow marks. This 45 km curvy highway, with some hairpins, went to an almost 2 km long tunnel – the Mt. Carmel Tunnel – that was constructed between 1927 and 1930. The Mount Carmel Highway was designed to connect the parks of Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon through Zion Canyon. The tunnel has windows cut through the face of the cliffs, allowing natural light to enter. The red asphalt contains an upper layer of oil and red volcanic cinders. Along this scenic highway, there are several turnouts, where tourists can stop their cars for taking pictures or going for a short hike. In the background are the peaks of the Altar of Sacrifice and the Sentinel, if I remember correctly.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 1999, 2017
A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2013.
Part 30:
Belo Horizonte (MG) – World Cup hourglass
Itauna (MG) – Cow
Belo Horizonte (MG) – World Cup hourglass
Itauna (MG) – Cow
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2013, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
004: Houses on a bridge
It is not common to meet houses on a bridge, but in Bad Kreuznach, they are there for centuries. These so-called Brückenhaüser were constructed on the Nahebrücke (Nahe Bridge) in the fifteenth century, whereas the bridge itself was built around 1300. The bridges on the rivers Nahe, Worth and Mulhenteich served to connect the Altstadt (Old Town) and Neustadt (New Town) in Bad Kreuznach, and with the neighboring cities of Trier and Mainz. The houses were inhabited by merchants and withstood flooding and wars. One of the bridge houses in Bad Kreuznach even has a cannonball in its wall, probably shot by Swedish troops in the seventeenth century. The bridges suffered serious damage at the end of WWII, when German troops destroyed part of them during their retreat. The damage was repaired ten years later.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2010, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
347: Country house
When I was on my way from Belo Horizonte to Diamantina by bus, I witnessed many beautiful landscapes and sceneries. Because of the long and dry winter season, that started in April, the vegetation had suffered a lot in August, the time of my travel. The hills and valleys were no longer lush green, but more brownish and yellowish green. The vegetation was very dry, vulnerable for wildfires. And indeed, I observed many spots of blackened grass, shrubs and trees, that were destroyed by those fires. Most of these fire were caused by careless motorists, for sure, by throwing their still burning cigarette butt out of the car window. You can imagine that living on a hill in the countryside of Minas Gerais must be absolutely wonderful. But on the other hand, owners of such country houses must be very worried when another wildfire may approach their house, about to destroy it.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2011, 2017
A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2012.
Part 33:
Guarapari (ES) – Morro Beach sunset
Guarapari (ES) – Morro Beach sunset
Guarapari (ES) – Morro Beach sunset
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2012, 2017
A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2014.
Part 16:
Gramado (RS) – Lago Negro
Gramado (RS) – Goose at Lago Negro
Gramado (RS) – Vila de Natal
Gramado (RS) – Lago Negro
Gramado (RS) – Goose at Lago Negro
Gramado (RS) – Vila de Natal
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2014, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
020: Black-suited woman
Like many major cities in the world, Amsterdam has also to deal with rush hours and traffic jams. It’s quite frustrating to spend several hours every day commuting from your home, just outside the big city (what many Dutch prefer), to your office in the city. Therefore, many people take public transportation like the subway, bus or train. Others prefer to be more independent on public transport and choose for the bicycle, motorcycle, or scooter. Like the woman in this photograph. Despite the fact it was a cold day in March, with the temperature floating around seven degrees centigrade only, she sat there on her white scooter in her black uniform. It was as if she were a policewoman from some decades ago. It was no wonder that she caught some attention from bystanders, even in Amsterdam, where you may observe many people that will draw your attention.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2010, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
346: White calla lily
This beautiful, creamy white calla lily was found in Parque Municipal in Belo Horizonte. These lilies are originally from Southern Africa, and are very popular among florists. They are strong plants with arrow-shaped leaves and a trumpet-shaped flower. By far the most well-known are the creamy white flowers, but there are also orange, green, yellow, pink, purple, light blue and dark red variants. The creamy white flowers are often associated with wedding bouquets and religious celebrations, symbolizing purity, rebirth and hope.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2011, 2017
A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2013.
Part 29:
São Paulo (SP) – Traffic clown
São Paulo (SP) – People gathering
São Paulo (SP) – Traffic clown
São Paulo (SP) – People gathering
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2013, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
007: Foz do Douro sunset
The city of Porto is located at the Douro River, that ends in the Atlantic Ocean. However, Foz do Douro, that is also part of the city of Porto, is located at the mouth of the Douro River, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. A perfect location to watch an amazing, colorful sunset. That day, the ocean was very calm with little waves. Although it was November, it was quite warm that day and it was still a bit warm at sunset. The warm colors of this sunset also helped to feel ourselves warm. I was imagining what lies beyond the horizon, like people must have been imagining before the discovery of America more than five hundred years ago. That time, I could not have imagined that I would visit Portugal’s former colony Brazil, and even would live there, at the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. From where I can imagine the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, when I am at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 1999, 2001, 2003, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
003: St. Paul Church
There is evidence that already during the Stone Age, people settled in what is now Bad Kreuznach, a city in the romantic Nahe Valley, at about 40 km from Mainz. In the Roman Age, it was a Celtic settlement which the Romans named Cruciniacum. The settlement served as a supply station between Mainz and Trier. The historic center is split in Altstadt (Old Town) and Neustadt (New Town), divided by the Nahe River. In 1311, construction of the Pauluskirche (St. Paul Church) was started on an island. It was initially dedicated to Virgin Mary and St. Kylian, then it became a Reformed Church, and now it is an Evangelical Church. The church was destroyed by the troops of King Louis XIV, and rebuilt in 1781. The biggest church between Mainz and Trier, it received the marriage of Karl Marx in 1843.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2010, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
345: Palm tree flowers
Palm trees are associated with subtropical and tropical areas. Many dream of being in tropical paradises with white beaches and swaying palms. In Brazil, I visited a number of these beach paradises, where vast palm tree fields lay just behind the white beaches, such as in Alagoas, Pernambuco and Paraíba. There are nearly three hundred different palm trees in Brazil, of which just over one hundred are endemic. The palm trees are not only located along the beaches, but virtually at every imaginable location in the country. As mentioned along the beaches, but also along rivers and streams, in the jungles, in the woods, in the arid grasslands, in the mountains. You will also find many palm trees in the cities, like the palm tree blossom on the photo was found in the Botanical Garden in Belo Horizonte.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2011, 2017
