St. George's rescue of Princess Elisava

"In this icon the artist turned to the type of subject most popular in the Ukraine, which includes an episode of St. George's rescue of Princess Elisava from a ravenous dragon. Such was the subject in folklore: "There were pagan people who did not believe in God, but in Smok, a ferocious Dragon with flame blazing from its mouth and sparks flashing from its eyes. They sacrificed to Smok a man every hour. Then came the time for the czar either to come himself, or to give it his daughter. And so St. Yura came on a white horse and carrying a spear. He struck Smok between the eyes, slaying him forever. This is written to the whole world, sent to all people, to read and to write, St. George to glorify."
Unlike other icons on this subject, the artist solved the problem of composition in an original way: here the spear with which the saint slays the dragon is leveled by an angel which has appeared from the sky (in other icons an angel crowns St. George), and the horse's hooves trample the dragon while Princess Elisava, full of gratitude, kneels before the victor. The background of the icon against which the event is developing is also unusual: it presents a Gothic castle with its unique decorations, like pinnacles, weather-vanes, and gears to raise a drawbridge; even guards are represented as two knights with spears. A crowd of witnesses is on the tower, including Elisava's parents with crowns on their heads.
Despite a certain Gothic influence evident also in definite stylistic devices like the sharply broken folds of St. George's red cloak, the icon bears traditional features of Ukrainian art: decorative flatness and obligatory conventionality, due to which the life of a saint was never identified with the life of a common man."
http://www.ugcc.org.ua/Gallery/Room3.html

Front & Back - Tarragona inline online! (3)

Tarragona inline online! (2)

Tarragona inline online!

Two pictures of yesterday skating around Tarragona. They are related with the post "Skating... in Tarragona!".

Paris inline online!!

These are some pictures of that wonderful weekend...

For more information look at the post called "A weekend in Paris... skating!" that was posted on the 25th September 2005...

Skating.... in Tarragona!

Woooww ..... it has been fantastic!! Which is going to be the next tour??

In a forthnight it's going to take place a Pineda-Salou-Cambrils skating-in-line tour!! Sooner, I will explain you about it!

Today, the people who showed us Tarragona city were from TARRACOPATINA Association... and this is their web. Visit it and contact them if you are interested in an alternative way of visiting this wonderful Tarraco!
http://www.tarracopatina.net/

"Elisava me fecit"

I would like to attach a part of an interesting article about the Elisava School of Design that I've found on the net:

"The school’s education philosophy is based on an understanding of design as part of our cultural heritage and as something that should make a contribution to society. As a mediator between economic logic and the needs of society. Elisava was founded in 1961 by the educationalist Maria Rosa Farré and prominent Catalans in arts and culture. Four years later it became a teaching college in the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF). The origin of its name is interesting: "Elisava me fecit" is the embroidered motto on a 12th-century banner showing Saint Ot, which can still be seen in the textile museum in Barcelona. For the first time a woman artist made sure her name went down in history. As a symbol for tradition and progress, her conceptual support is certainly a good omen for the new generations of creatives coming out of the college." http://www.elisava.es/elisava/fla_cat/base/base.asp

I take advantage to tell you that I went to study to UPF.
http://www.upf.es/

Pilar Festival 2005

Life is full of opportunities... you just have to take some of them!

An ex-work-mate told me that he would go to Zaragoza when they were celebrating the Pilar Festival... So, last wekend a group of eight were to Zaragoza... Some were from the previous work ... and the others, “friends of friends”... The great thing was that now that I’m not in that place where I worked I had the opportunity to know all of them in other environment!!

And... woooow... a really different one!! An alcoholic environment where everybody was in high spirits... and where the best friends were Beer, Rum & Sangria... !

Well, we didn’t go to any concert, almost we didn’t realize that we were in Zgz, but at least, we enjoied and disconnected... and that was the mere purpose!

Anyway, I have a friend in Zgz, so I know this city quite well...
I really recommend you to visit under a temperate sun... although the effects under the drunk moon are quite pleasant too...
http://www.zaragoza.es/

A Chill Out Moment...

It’s a period of time that usually becomes when you have taken your dinner and you are relaxing after an intense day at work.

It’s not difficult to take it, but you have to find time to dedicate some minutes in your full timetable...

Although it seems surprisingly easy... it isn’t. Relax isn’t a word that we recognize... Or at least, I'm speaking under my point of view.... But today and now... I need this moment... Not going out, not working, not studying, not watching TV, not thinking, not talking, not reading, not writing (I’m going to finish this post very soon )...

So, I am going to listen to music... - it’s the only activity permitted that in fact it helps to reach this “state” -... of course, not any type of music... what it works with me is Chill Out... today it’s going to be Café del Mar, being more precise “the 25th Anniversary Café del Mar”... I will light a candle and an indian “Nag Champa” incense (the best one that I’ve able to find).... I will close all the other lights and my eyes... And now, I’m going to lay myself down on the sofa... and practise this abandoned but needed "chill out moment"... I don’t know if this is Nirvana, but it’s a Sava’s approximation...
http://www.cafedelmarmusic.com/