Warsaw: An Autumnal Walk

Started my autumnal stroll yesterday from the (Catholic) church on an island (above), down near the 'Three Crosses'.

Went beyond the Sheraton hotel and had a nostalgic look at the Basen:

The Basen was a great music venue from 2012 until it closed down after the Soley gig in May this year.  Saw quite a few really good gigs at the Basen including Submotion Orchestra:

And Lamb:

Also saw The Residents; The Chromatics; Mum; Tricky; and Swans there, it was a great place.

Round the other side of what was the Basen, there is an interesting-looking theatre:

Have never been there, but it definitely looks worth a visit:

And then I moved towards the parkland, slowly heading down towards the river, as the things below caught my eye:

 

As well as this gorgeous fountain still going strong midway through autumn:

Mary Queen of Heaven and St. Anthony and the Child Jesus Statues

St. Anthony's Catholic church in Constanta, Romania is generally a bland Vatican II-styled church (really not my kind of thing), but I really liked this Mary Queen of Heaven (Mary Queen of Stars/Mary Queen of the Universe) statue there.

Also really liked the picture of St. Anthony and the Child Jesus above the church door:

And the statue of St. Anthony and the Child Jesus inside the church:

Canterbury (Kent): Ross the Artist

My friend Ross who lives in Canterbury, Kent, is a pretty mean photographer, capturing his own image perfectly in the (bottom right of the) picture above.

But more than being a decent photographer, he's first and foremost a talented artist, and is currently doing Art workshops in and around the Canterbury area:
 

Never knew that Ross was a big fan of Gerald Ford (or is it a young Prince Philip?), but I love the picture below:

Ayn Rand: Howard Roark

A few months ago, I finally got round to reading some Ayn Rand, 'The Fountainhead', something I'd been meaning to do for years and wasn't disappointed.

For me, you can't read 'The Fountainhead' and fail to be impressed by Howard Roark, the brilliant, uncompromising architect who doesn't allow his creative genius and personal integrity to be held back or prostituted by communitarian mediocrity.

What I especially like about Roark is that when the communitarian plebians repeatedly gang up on him to make his life tough, blocking his aspirations towards individual greatness, he doesn't get aggressive or cynical and bitter, he just shrugs it off and continues his pursuit of being an individual creator who refuses to be held back by the mediocre, negotiated  processes of wider society.  In other words, his will extends him towards what he wants to be, not what a collective bunch of others try to force him to be.

Tess and the Strawberry Symbol

When I read Thomas Hardy's 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' many years ago, I didn't really notice the strawberry motif/symbol in the novel.

But while watching the excellent, BBC 2008, serial production of 'Tess' recently, I started noticing the strawberry image, sensing how it may symbolically represent how voluptuous and irresistible Tess is to men,  her nature being both sublimely passionate and innocent as a girl turning towards womanhood.

Also think that when Alec D'Urberville makes Tess eat strawberries early in the novel, there is an obvious parallel with Eve's fall in the Garden of Eden when she eats the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Life.  After this, of course, Alec rapes Tess in a secluded wood, and, thus, starts Tess' tragic downfall before her life has really begun.

Luke Gasser Live at Warsaw Klub Progresja 11th October 2015

Also really liked Luke Gasser (supporting Nazareth) at Warsaw Klub Progresja last night.  Not only was the music excellent, but Luke Gasser talks a lot of sense (e.g. about the world being mad for allowing such a person as Angela Merkel to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize).

Found the bassist and drummer a truly pulsating rhythm section and Gasser a great guitarist/frontman.

Been blessed with some incredible support bands over the past year.

Nazareth Live at Warsaw Klub Progresja 11th October 2015

Really enjoyed the Nazareth gig at Warsaw Klub Progresja last night.  With new vocalist, Carl Sentance, the band seem to have taken on new life:

Really enjoyed listening to a string of old classics:  'Razamanaz; 'This Flight Tonight'; 'Bad, Bad Boy'; 'Holiday'; 'Hair of the Dog'; 'Love Hurts'; 'Morning Dew' etc.

Just about managed to get a shot of (still going strong bassist) Pete Agnew:

And guitarist Jimmy Murrison below:

And again this guy, Carl Sentance, really seems to fit the band perfectly (when I saw Nazareth a few years ago, Dan McCafferty's voice seemed to be going):

Never realised that Carl Sentance was around during the NWOBHM days (with Persian Risk).

All round, a great gig at a small club, where the latter added nicely to the atmosphere.