Budva, Montenegro: My Best Shots

Above is possibly my best shot from the small coastal resort of Budva in Montenegro.  Just found the juxtaposition of small straw-like shelters on the beach with deep blue sea and a small boat slowly making its way to shore quite interesting. 

For me, Budva was far cleaner and less noisy than the rowdy coastal resort that we stayed at which wasn't a million miles away.  Loved watching people enjoying themselves on the beach and swimming alongside the 'city walls' in Budva:

Yes, the above is also one of my favourite shots from Budva, one of those very rare occasions when everything in the picture seems to be in correct proportion.

Medjugorje, Bosnia: Not Knowing What To Think of the Place

During our recent week-long tour of the Balkans, we spent a couple of hours at the (not officially recognised) Catholic shrine of Medjugorje in Bosnia.  Before visiting this place, I hadn't known what to think of it, and I was still none the wiser afterwards

In general, I found all the religious souvenir shops and fast food joints near the church above and on the way up to the shrine itself rather tacky.  Was also a little bemused to observe the pilgrims' devotion to the metallic statue of Christ below:

While observing this, somebody told me that the devotees believe that the statue bleeds (probably from the shiny part).

However, after a short but rugged ascent over some awkwardly smooth rock formations, we reached the summit of the hill, where the Marian apparitions are said to have taken place, and, here, the Medjugorje experience was a little more impressive:

Here, the pilgrims stood around in more silent or gentle prayer and earnest-looking contemplation, and this was the only place that I felt any sense of peace in Medjugorje.

Thirty years or so ago, when I was only 17 years old, I'd visited the official Catholic shrine of Lourdes in southern France with my grandmother and cousin, Gerard.  There, the sense of mystery and religious awe had been magical, one of the best weeks of my life in retrospect (I just felt a special kind of peace there). 

But, alas, Medjugorje seems to be no Lourdes.  Having said this, it may just be that the place lacks the processes of grandeur and canonisation that official recognition and time bring:

The Soviet War Cemetery and Memorial in Warsaw

This is the incredible 2nd World War Soviet Soldiers' Cemetery/Memorial in Warsaw, Poland.  It's located on the road to the airport from the city centre, a couple of stops after the American 'Jeff's Steakhouse' (this being quite an ironic juxtaposition, of course).

A good friend of mine visited me from Ireland recently and said words to the effect of:  'No matter what you think of the political symbolism of the place, you can't help but get a sense that the Soviet Union didn't do things by halves'.  Like with the Palace of Culture in Warsaw city centre and the Soviet-type murals down near Plac Zabawiecela, my friend's breath was literally taken away while first casting his eyes on the large statues at the Soviet Soldiers' Cemetery/Memorial:

Here, my friend also found the murals at the Cemetery opening equally impressive:

Kotor Catholic Cathedral, Montenegro

Here I'm back with the magical medieval town and UNESCO site of Kotor in Montenegro.  This shot is of Kotor Catholic Cathedral with the mountains in the background.  Montenegro is a mainly Orthodox country where many Catholic churches are said to have been (possibly forcibly) turned into Orthodox ones in the past.

Really liked this wooden engraving of a pre-Vatican II type Pope on the door of Kotor Catholic Cathedral:

I'm only a layman, but I guess that some real profound craftsmanship must've gone into carving this small Pope figure.

Underrated Bands: Galahad

The above, 'Empires Never Last', is one of my two favourite Galahad tracks, and is a kind of signature tune for this massively talented but underrated band.  A quick bio of Galahad reads that the band were kind of borne out of the back end of the '2nd Wave of British Prpg' (Marillion; IQ; Twelfth Night; Pallas; Pendragon etc.) in the mid-1980s, but only started properly recording in the early 1990s on their own indepemdent record label (and occasionally in conjunction with a Polish label), and, since then, they've largely remained beyond most (even discerning) listeners' radars.

Indeed, up until a few months ago, I was kind of only vaguely aware of Galahad as being an underground British prog band, but couldn't have named you one of their songs, which is more the pity.  However, I've tried to put this right by giving the band an extended listening over the last few months, which brings me to the second of my favourite tracks by the band, 'Richelieu's Prayer':

Love the way how the beautiful gentle melody of the first few minutes of this track gives way to archetypal (but much valued) Prog self-indulgence. 

Well, the two tracks above are currently my favourite Galahad tunes, but which other songs do I really like?  Well, I now find myself repeatedly playing both the title track and 'Seize the Day' from the 2112 'Battle Scars' album:

So there you have it:  here's where I'm at in the early stages of properly discovering and appreciating a great but massively hidden/underrated British Prog Rock band. 

Can't wait to see Galahad at Warsaw Klub Progresja on October 25th.  Seen a lot of good Prog-type bands at Warsaw Klub Progresja over the last couple of years:  The Flower Kings; Threshhold; Enochian Theory; Riverside; Pain of Salvation etc.

Dubrovnik Panorama from the City Walls

While in Dubrovnik Old Town itself, I didn't really feel that much as it seemed to amount to pretty much what I'd expected.  However, through looking back on my pictures, especially the panoramic scenes taken from the city walls, I was forced to acknowledge that the place had a certain charm with its red-tiled roofs intermingling with several taller church buildings and an interesting-looking island being fully visible not far out to sea.

Kotor, Montenegro: An Amazing Religious Stone Carving

As you pass through the small gate and archway into the magical medieval coastal town of Kotor in Montenegro, you encounter this incredible religious stone carving on the wall. 

Through originating from Britain, a politically 'correct' restrictive state where Christian expression and symbols have become inreasingly censored over the past 15-20 years, it was a massive joy to see such open aesthetic religious expression at the heart of daily life.  Yes, this was a place where I could feel fully free to appreciate the aesthetics of the religious art on offer. 

Kotor is one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic, fully deserving of its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Kotor old town was built in the second half of the 12th century and still to this day very much retains a kind of noble medieval atmosphere.